To Break the Chain
by Kohari
Summary: Hiei finally gets his wish for world domination. Yukina's trapped beneath the city, protecting it. Welcome the Blitz! Hiei seems to be 3 steps ahead of them...Announcement: Tragedy version has arrived called 'Escapade'.
1. Chapter 1

To Break the Chain  
  
Kohari: Since I removed the little dream fic I posted to turn it into this, I suppose technically this is my first YYH fic, right? Well, I hope you enjoy it. I also hope that I'm not copying someone else's idea. And that you don't sue me 'cause I don't own YYH. Here goes!  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Explain to me again WHY I am here, Kurama," a certain blue-n-black haired apparition asked, annoyed that he had ben dragged into this as well. It wasn't his job to be spirit detective. Why should he help? It's not like it was beneficial to him. If anything, it was degrading. He hated humans. And here he was, in a forest, with vines and thorns up his ass, lowered to being a dog-catcher for rogues of the spirit world.  
  
"We're here to aid Yusuke," Kurama answered in his sophisticated manner. He had to admit, it wasn't the most comforting thing to be crouching in a bush, waiting for their target, in this case, an evil sprite bent on dangerously pranking humans. It wouldn't have mattered if it just stole people's car keys. Oh, no. The situation was much more serious than that. This little devil led people off cliff-edges with illusions, forced cars to swerve toward unsuspecting pedestrians, and almost anything else that might end in a fatal accident.   
  
"This because..." Hiei went on, frustrated that Urameshi couldn't hurry up and get this over with. The clean-up crew may clean up the detective if he didn't get his sorry little human butt over there within the next couple of -  
  
Before Hiei could finish his thought (seconds), and before his fox partner could respond, they heard a disturbing menacing laugh echo not far from their current location. Shouts from Yusuke and Kuwabara followed. Apparently, the obsessed prankster wasn't listening to their commands to "get back here, ya little runt!", because that hideous giggle continued to come closer and closer until.  
  
"Now we attack, Hiei!" Kurama suggested, but the firey-tempered (and element) teen (is he?) was one step ahead of him, sword drawn and its wielder on the offensive, air-born and inches from the flesh of its prey.  
  
Yusuke and Kuwabara entered the clearing in time enough to be splattered with the blood of the sprite, what was left of the body bathed in it on the ground.  
  
"Did you have to kill it, half-pint?" Kuwabara chastised, annoyed that he didn't get a shot at the thing  
  
"Yeah, we were kinda supposed to bring it in alive, Hiei," Yusuke pointed out, though more calmly than his teammate.   
  
"Since when do you care for Koenma's preferences?" Kurama asked curiously. Everyone got silent.  
  
"I don't," Yusuke retorted. "But it's my job, unlike you."  
  
"True, I don't necessarily work for Koenma any longer, but..." The red-headed rose-whip expert left off that, allowing the others to take the remark how they wanted it.  
  
"Well, let's drag this corpse back to headquarters!" Yusuke chirped enthusiastically, clapping his hands once to get attention and motivate the others.   
  
"There's no way I'm touchin' that thing," Kuwabara complained as Kurama and Yusuke were leaving, obviously planning on him doing the dirty (literally) work. He ran after them, the corpse left with a scowling Hiei. He destroyed the remains, signalling to the others it wasn't worth the effort. They still had to report to their superior, though, and they made their way to the exit of the tick-and-who-knows-what-else-infested forest.  
  
As they moved along, Hiei trailed a little ways behind. He knew he'd regret allowing himself to become their "friend." He didn't give a fuck what happened to them. Just as he was dwelling on these thoughts, a voice behind him called to him.  
  
"Who's there?" he demanded, surveying his surroundings to who was daring to hide from him.  
  
"Just someone who can help you." The voice was misty and of a feminine origin. It sounded like it anyway.  
  
"I need help from no one woman," Hiei declared, going on his way once again, but was stopped when the voice went on.  
  
"You were better off a loner," she observed. "You've become attached to those humans, and you resent it. You wish you could turn back to the way you were. I can help you do that."  
  
"I'm intrigued. Go on." Hiei began once again to look around him, curious as to where this insane person was.  
  
"There is a certain power that can grant you whatever it is you want. All you have to do is gather a few orbs."  
  
"Really." This was no question. He was skeptical. What she was suggesting was simply impossible. He had a better chance of finding himself fucking a human than believing her.  
  
"Yes. And I have the first three right here." The woman came out of the shadows of the already darkening forest. She was completely covered in a cloak, but you could still tell that she was ancient in her years. She held these so-called mystic orbs. Or rather, they hovered above her hand slightly.  
  
"And how many do I have to collect?" Hiei asked her, still suspicious, as he slunk towards her cautiously. It was possible that this was a trap to get him off-guard. Was he paranoid that some eccentric loon would attack him.  
  
"Eight," she answered, not faltering. She may be telling the truth. These magical balls (lame-sounding I know) called to him, and he touched one, it sending a small surge through his hand.  
  
"How do I find these orbs?" he questioned her, convinced now that she wasn't lying.  
  
"You shall be able to sense them," she told him. "And, luckily for you, they are all located in this area. I shall help you retrieve them." She lifted her free hand after placing two of the orbs on the same hand as the other, and five shimmering, glowing balls sped to answer the summons, acting the part of a satellite around her uplifted fingers.  
  
"How do I know this is no trick?" the fire apparition inquired. This was all too easy. "Why would you give them to me? Why not keep them for yourself?"  
  
"Because you could do greater things than I could, and I am interested to see how you use them."   
  
"Hmph."   
  
She offered the orbs to him silently, each of them circling her left hand in front of him. Hiei could see wrinkles, peeling skin, and countless veins creeping up the old lady's arm, but said nothing. As soon as he reached for them, they fell into his awaiting hands, losing their brilliance.   
  
"How do I summon up this power?"  
  
"The octagon shall lead your path," the woman said mysteriously and disappeared once again into the undergrowth. For a moment, Hiei wondered whether he should've killed her while she was still in sight, but he dismissed the thought. She wanted amusement in seeing how he handled this power, and she would at least live to regret it.  
  
He pondered on what the mysterious woman's last words had said to him. "Octagon," he repeated. Then he knew. The orbs had to be in an octagonal form. But did order matter? The balls glowed in response, telling them that it did. The orbs were all different colors maybe that had something to do with it.  
  
Red, pink, violet, green, white, black, blue, and gold. He placed them in a circular pattern (eight points anyway, right?), the colors being beside one another in this order: White, gold, green, blue, violet, pink, red, black, back to white.   
  
World Domination. That plan had been on his mind from the beginning. No more being topped by that raven-haired freak, Yusuke, always protecting that girl, Kayko. The thought of love made him sick. And no more having to put up with that idiot Kuwabara, whose hobby it seemed to brag about him being better, not knowing what he was talking about. No more Kurama, who was constantly trying to tell him what was right to do, attempting to work out the enigma (Hiei) and sharing what little knowledge he had on the subject with the others at every turn. The only one he would truly miss would be Yukina, his sister, oblivious to that fact. She was ignorant as to who her brother was, and that made things better. She would be ashamed to see his true ambitions if she knew. He didn't approve of Kuwabara being around her that much, but it kept her happy, and that was all he could ask for.  
  
'Prepare to change, world. Your fate now belongs to Hiei.'  
  
He called upon the combined powers of the orbs, their light almost blinding. His dearest wish would be granted.  
  
Kohari: Okay. I do expect reviews for this one. Watch me get nothing. Everybody reviewed the dream when I said they didn't have to, and now that I want them to, they probably won't. Should I use reverse psychology? Do not review people! Did it work? (This part is meant to be at least a little funny, so laugh. LAUGH!). Anyway, we all know what Hiei wished for. Next chapter, we will start a resistance with the rest of Team Urameshi. And later on, I may come into the chapter (I was in the dream and this is kind of a very long and tweaked version of the dream, so...). But I can't continue if I think people don't care, so review! And flames are accepted just as long as I get...I dunno. I'll go easy. 5 reviews. Byes! 


	2. Chapter 2

To Break the Chain  
  
Kohari: I told you I'd get nothing if I said I wanted reviews! I only got 2! That's pathetic. And thanks for the support, kikyokurama and Jemintra. You guys really helped my self-esteem. If I hear some begging, I might consider reposting the dream fic. J/K. You don't have to beg, but I need to know if anyone wants it back up. Anyway, this is chapter 2. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
The world around him was dark again. It didn't appear that anything had changed. "Stupid hag. I never should've listened to her and her stupid lies. I should've known it was a trick." He got up from where he was kneeling on the ground, not failing to note that the orbs were gone. 'Hmph. She probably stole them back.'  
  
So caught up in what he thought was his retarded mistake, Hiei didn't notice that some areas of the forest were scorched. Much of the vegetation had lost its healthy green color, which was replaced by a lackluster brownish-tinted yellow. He didn't realize it, but the forest had somehow changed greatly.  
  
He was still caught up in thought as he exited those life-deprived woods. That is, until he heard his name, screamed in fear, and saw many humans in surprisingly old ragged clothing run as though their lives depended on it from him. "Dumbasses," he muttered to himself. But it was still as mystery. They had been afraid of him. But why? They shouldn't even know who he was, right?  
  
It was then that he took a good look around him. The forest had been located on top of a large hill, which had a spectacular view of a nearby city. Now, in place of that city, were black buildings, many of which had been burned to half their original size. In some places, there were still flames licking toward the sky, which was a disturbing red swirling against black. Helicopters zoomed around calling out to anyone who may have survived an attack. What had happened there? He hadn't heard any explosions, and he would've smelled fire. How did this happen?  
  
He looked down at his feet. The grass had long since died. He turned swiftly to view the forest, and saw no leaves on the bushes or the trees. Could what the old woman told him have been true? Had world domination become a reality?  
  
He made his way toward the city, finding the streets destroyed, cement rising dangerously out of the ground. Everywhere he stepped, the apparition heard his name called in fear, followed by screaming and running. He thought of pursuing them, to find out if his suspicions were true, but he thought better of it.   
  
Finally, he found a street that hadn't been touched. The side of the buildings facing the road were as good as new. Why? Why was this place so different? What was special about it? Then he saw. Engraved in the center of the pavement was the symbol of a snowflake, glowing ice blue in the middle of the road. As he drew closer, he saw that it had been drawn by an ice apparition, a sign that this place had been protected.  
  
Behind him, he heard the sound of feet pounding hard on the damaged street. A familiar voice, like that of a village idiot, spoke to him, angry and determined, "Back off, shorty! You won't harm Yukina any more!"  
  
He turned to find himself looking at his old comrades, holding pistols. Various other weapons clung to their belts. They looked as though they hadn't bathed in days, and their clothes were simple, dirty, and torn in many places. 'I hurt Yukina?' he asked himself in disbelief. He would never do anything to hurt his darling sister. It had to be a lie. 'I would never harm her!'  
  
"Yukina risked her life to protect this place! You can't do anything to it!" the one who had spoken first, Kuwabara, shouted out.  
  
"Please, Hiei. Don't make this any harder than it has to be," pleaded Kurama, taking a step closer.  
  
"Come on, Hiei. I don't wanna hafta fight ya," Yusuke told him.  
  
"What are you fools talking about?!" Hiei demanded as they slowly tried to close in on him. He jumped to the balcony of a nearby apartment, surprised that whereas the other dilapidated structures would've collapsed, this remained strong and stable.  
  
"Koenma will easily forgive you! Just turn yourself in!" Yusuke called out.  
  
"Hiei, the world should be free! Humans must live in peace or the celestial balance shall be thrown off course (A/N: No idea where that came from)!" Kurama tried to explain.  
  
"So I did take over the world," Hiei whispered to himself. "The old witch was actually right."  
  
"Come on, Shorty! We ain't gettin' any younger!" Kuwabara hollered, obviously expecting the apparition to give up.  
  
"No!" Hiei shouted, startling and confusing his ex-teammates. "You can keep your pathetic ideals about the world and freedom! I, however, oppose those ideas! This world is mine, and I refuse to give it up to you weaklings!"   
  
"You can't be serious!" Yusuke yelled at him, seeing him get ready to hop to a window ledge and escape.  
  
"I am. Forget you ever knew me, detective, because you will regret it." He left them staring in astonishment, disappointment, and confusion. He spotted a castle in the distance that was appealing to his taste, and assumed that was where he had made his home. He started towards it.  
  
Yusuke and the rest of Team Urameshi (minus Hiei) were still standing where he had left them. They had sunk to the ground in failure and were wallowing in self-pity as well as sympathy for their lost friend. They felt sorry that they had allowed him to turn back to evil.   
  
Botan floated in, her usual smile missing from her face. Apparently Hiei's take-over had affected her spirits as well. And, due to the casualties he had caused, it resulted in a great number of deaths, making her overworked and exhausted. "I'm guessing it didn't go well, did it?" she asked sadly, knowing the answer before it was even said.  
  
"Bingo," Yusuke said flatly, attempting to make a joke of Botan by taking her famous and favorite phrase. Nobody laughed, though. They all sat in silence for a while until Botan broke the quiet.  
  
"I have some news that may cheer you up a bit," she announced, a slight smile returning and her broom (is that what it is?) rose a few more feet. They all turned to her.  
  
"And what might that be?" Yusuke asked dully and uninterestedly. Nothing was happy for anyone anymore.   
  
"Well, I know some people who may be able to help you," the "Grim Reaper" answered, causing stares.   
  
"Gin (did I spell that right?) and the rest of the people from the tournament are dead, Botan. You should know that." Yusuke appeared to be the temporary spokesperson of the team, and the others only nodded in sorrowful memory.  
  
"Yes, but I didn't mean them." This caused the looks to become more intrigued and curious. "There are two youths that have started somewhat of a resistance somewhere. Todd and Kohari (sound familiar?) have increasingly high potential as spirit detectives themselves, as well as some of their friends. I'm sure they'd all be glad to give you a little boost."  
  
"Will we be able to free Yukina any time soon, Botan?" Kuwabara asked, concern and sorrow unhidden, diverting the conversation away from their soon-to-be partners.  
  
Everyone glanced at the symbol of the snowflake. It still glowed with fervor, as a promise to protect this place. They knew, that underneath the city, wrapped in a sky-blue ball of energy lay a girl, in a coma-like state. An ice apparition with relation to Hiei. As long as she remained underground putting all of her strength into the street's protection, it was safe. But she was asleep, and couldn't wake up. She had known that it was possible that she could be down there for eternity. She had given more than her life for this place. Her spirit was trapped down there, putting everything it had into keeping the area safe, and none of them knew how to wake her again.  
  
"We don't know," Botan answered solemnly. Their heads drooped. "But I'll send the new team to meet you tomorrow. Until then, don't die, okay?" She drifted away to report to Koenma. They knew she was serious about the don't die. Even she couldn't joke at a time like this.  
  
Back at the mansion, Hiei donned royal clothing, greeted by faithful servants. When he had arrived an hour previously (yes, an hour has passed), welcomes of "Master Hiei," "You're back, Lord Hiei," (I didn't want to call Hiei Lord, but...) and such echoed throughout the halls.  
  
So the wish had been granted him. He now controlled this world. His height had increased a few inches, and he was sworn to get rid of the annoying Team Urameshi who were a threat to his plans. And they would try again soon. Very soon.  
  
"Prepare the troops!" he ordered, getting ready for an attack on another city not too far away. The army he had acquired were just people who had given in to the fact that Hiei had accomplished World Domination and had sworn themselves to obeying him. Everyone thought that God had abandoned them. They didn't realize that He had help on its way. In what form? Who knew?  
  
Kohari: OK, it's over. You can hit me now. --gets hit with tomato--. I didn't mean that seriously. --another tomato is thrown--. Cut it out! --yet another tomato is thrown and fails to hit--. --Kohari points-- HA, you mi- --tomato smacks her in the face--. Fine. Please review. My goal is 10 reviews. You can log out and send another review for all I care, just as long as I get that amount. And tell your friends how great this story is too! --snort is heard in the background--. SHUT IT! Oh, well. All you nice (Yusuke coughs) reviewers in the audience, review and I'll see you soon! I hope. Byes! 


	3. Chapter 3

To Break the Chain  
  
Kohari: Okay, I finally got some more reviews. I went ahead and started this one. Oh, and I may need an extra person later on in the story, so if you want to be in this, go ahead and let me know, 'kay? Of course, you'll only have a small part, and you'll be killed, but...it's something, right? And you don't have to give me your real appearance or anything. You can just make up a character for me (preferably male, but fms okay too). I'm not trying to joke my own gender, but when I thought up the scene I'll need someone in, they were male, and it makes it a lot easier. Anyway...  
  
Disclaimer: Kohari does not, never has, and probably never will own YYH.  
  
Kohari: That hurts. Oh well. Enjoy!   
  
Chapter 3  
  
Note: This is somewhat of an alternate reality that the orbs have created. In this little alternate reality, Hiei has taken over control a month prior to coming out of the forest. In his third week of ruling the world, he disappeared. Now, he is back. Don't get it? Neither do I. Hiei's mind went for a loop, too, trying to keep track of timelines. From now until I say otherwise, we will be using this "alternate reality's" time lines. 'Kay? Sorry to mess ya up, there.  
  
Yusuke and the others camped out at that same spot that night. It's not like there was anywhere else safer to be. This wasn't even their hometown. They had just been tracking Hiei down.  
  
The next morning found them all very tired. Everyone in the city knew that Hiei had disappeared for a week before he met up with Team Urameshi the day before. Now that he had returned, they were almost afraid to sleep. The bags under their eyes that had been there since the incident had occured proved this statement to be correct. Koenma himself had become a little paranoid since the apparition's betrayal.  
  
Now, they were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new partners. Todd and Kohari...what were they like? None of them knew, and wouldn't until they got there.  
  
Kuwabara sat on a fire hydrant (A/N: Okay, I don't know how to spell that word.), twiddling his thumbs. Yusuke sat beside him on the concrete sidwalk, bottoms of his feet pressing against each other, hands behind his head, rocking back and forth. Kurama was nearby examining an interesting plant that neither of the others had ever seen before.  
  
Yusuke, glancing to the side and down the street, noticed three silhouettes in the distance. As they came closer, the team realized that it was a guy, a girl, and Botan.  
  
"Hello, everybody," Botan practically sang. Her two charges stood in front of the three that had been waiting.  
  
'Don't know what she's so cheerful about,' Yusuke thought to himself, looking over the newcomers.  
  
"Boys, this is Todd," Botan introduced, waving her hand in the direction of a boy clad in camoflouge-green jeans (with who knew how many pockets) and a black T-shirt. His chocolate-colored hair was unkempt and his eyes were a beautiful brown to match, though the expression in them was cold and emotionless. His skin tone was quite tan, and if circumstances hadn't been the way they were, he looked like he'd be a chick-magnet.  
  
"And Kohari." She pointed to a girl whose elbow rested on her comrade's shoulder. She wore short jean shorts that appeared old, strings dangling from the bottom of them. A tight black spaghetti strap tank top hugged her upper body, similar to the way her boots, also black, clung to the lower half of her leg, resting over the bottom half of her knees. Black earrings, black necklace, black bracelet, everything she wore was black with the exception of her shorts. Baby blue eyes stared from under jet-black eyelashes. Her hair was a rainbow of colors. Golden-brown tips slowly transformed into a dirty-blond to a final of strawberry-blond ends to the middle of her back, topped off with golden-blond (actually, almost white) streaks that hadn't been re-dyed for months.  
  
"They'll be working with you from now on," announced Botan cheerfully.  
  
"So, uh, where're the others?" Kuwabara asked stupidly, eyes on the new girl. Kohari got a distant look in her eye and went to sit on a step closeby, taking out a picture and occupying herself with it.  
  
"Others?" Botan repeated, ignoring what had just happened, and not understanding what the red-haired idiot was talking about.  
  
"The rest of out side of the resistance," Todd answered for her.   
  
"He speaks!" joked Yusuke, the comment of whom Todd paid no attention to.  
  
"They decided to sniff around what I guess was supposed to be a hotel at one time. Hope they weren't invading your sleeping quarters." They shook their heads. Todd was becoming more friendly. Maybe he just acted heartless as a first impression.  
  
"What's up with her?" Kuwabara inquired, jerking his head in Kohari's direction. Yusuke wandered over ot her, up the steps and sat behind her, beginning a conversation.  
  
"Oh. She does that sometimes. She's still mourning Dmitri," Todd explained.  
  
"Who?" Kurama questioned.   
  
"Dmitri," Todd echoed himself. "Leader of the Blitz. They started that gang together. Makes up most of our team now. They were childhood friends." He paused to look at the girl he had come to love. "He swore he'd protect her if it killed him. Carried it out right to the letter." He sighed. "Done in by Hiei himself before he went missing. She still hasn't gotten over it, I guess."  
  
As we know, Yusuke had started a discussion with Kohari. Let's take a look at what had been going on with them.  
  
"That your boyfriend?" Yusuke asked, inspecting the photograph over her shoulder. They couldn't hear the others' conversation. She looked at him, as though she could see through him and look into his soul.  
  
"No." The reply sounded empty of all concern, care, or feeling at all. Just...blank. She turned her attention back to the photo. Yusuke looked more closely at it. There was a fifteen-yr-old boy with messy emerald locks, sitting on a fence, his right hand waving. Behind him was Kohari (14.5 yrs), making a peace sign at the camera. The fingers of her right hand were tangled into those of the boy's left and slung loosely over his right shoulder. Both were smiling.  
  
"A close friend?" Yusuke tried again.  
  
"Dmitri." Yusuke took that as a yes. "It was taken not long before...the attack." She sounded as though her subconscious was speaking for her.  
  
"Attack?" Yusuke asked, concerned. "You mean...by Hiei?"  
  
She nodded, her eyes were dull from sorrow. "The village was peaceful. One of the few that had been temporarily spared because of seclusion...We should've known they'd find some way."  
  
All of a sudden, she snapped out of her "trance." Her eyes regained their brilliant appearance and she smiled at him. They went and rejoined the others.  
  
"I think it's time we rested up. It's morning, but we all look like we could use it. Tomorrow, we'll get acquainted and make a plan," Todd suggested. "I'll take first watch. Sound good?"  
  
Everyone cheered. They had all the time in the world right now. For the first time in a long while, they were all actually happy over something.  
  
Meanwhile, back in the castle, Hiei had been briefed on the events of the past month, including his "disappearance." He was still in the dark about Yukina, but was suspicious because no one seemed able to find her.   
  
He had gone back to his evil self. His next target: none. Another base seemed like a good idea. What better way than to make one out of a mall. Supplies, equipment, and facilities.   
  
"Construction begins tomorrow!" He ordered as he left, cape billowing out behind him. The old woman saw all of this through her "visions." Had she foreseen this? Was she satisfied with what she had created? What would she do about it? She laughed and retreated further into the forest to search for some food.  
  
Kohari: What'd ya think?! I know I didn't get the number of reviews I wanted, but...I still felt like I had to type this up before the smart people that are reading and reviewing don't get bored of it. You guys rule! Anyway, remember, if you want to be in it, I'm just a click away! Byes! 


	4. Chapter 4

To Break the Chain  
  
Kohari: Yes, chains of friendship have been broken in this little ficcy of mine. That's why it's called "To Break the Chain." I still don't have anyone asking to be in this fic or offering characters. --sarcastically-- Don't everyone e-mail/review at once. --normal--Anyway, here's chapter 4.  
  
Chapter 4 (Kohari POV. Flashback)  
  
We were running through the woods, laughing like never before, not caring that the forest was crawling with ticks, fleas, and God only knows what else. There's nothing better than being eight years old, and playing tag with your best friend.   
  
Eventually, I ran out of breath, and Dmitri and I stopped for a break beside a brook. I sat on a huge rock out of splashing range while he stuck his head in the water, washing off the sweat that he had worked up that morning. He dried his face with a towel that we always left there (it was our secret hiding spot), and approached me as he wiped the cool, clear water off.  
  
"Dmitri," I call his name lightly, my voice high. I always hated my voice. When I spoke, it was more of a squeak. He hung the towel up on a tree nearby and sat on the rock beside me. His green-colored hair was even darker now because he had drenched his whole head in the brook, and it was dripping water all over the place. The earth quickly absorbed it, quite thirsty, apparently.   
  
"What?" He asked. I had always admired him. He was so brave. And smart. Strong, too. He was a half a year older than me, but that meant that he was even wiser in the ways of the world. At least, by 6 months, anyway.  
  
"We'll always be friends, right?" I sounded so innocent. But I was asking truthfully. He was my best friend. One of the few I had. I didn't want anything to come between us. I wanted us to be together forever.  
  
"Of course," he answered, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Why would you ask something like that?" His gorgeous, luminous amber eyes locked with mine for a second before I turned away, ashamed I had even thought something that horrible.  
  
"I dunno. It's just..." I turned to him, blurting everything out, looking him once again in the eyes. "What if something happens, huh? There have been more and more people visiting the village, and with that, there has been a lot more crime. That's what mommy says. What if something happens to me? I'm not a fighter like you."  
  
"Nothing will happen. I won't let anything happen to you." He pulls me into a hug. "I'm gonna protect you with my life, Ko."  
  
I pulled away from him for a moment, checking his expression to make sure he wasn't lying. "You'd do that for me?"  
  
"That's what friends are for, right?" he laughed. "Neither of us'll be left behind. We're sorta like family."  
  
"Family," I repeated, smiling. That sounded just about right.  
  
Over the years, we were sort of a family. Todd, Jacob, and Mina were, too. We all watched each other's backs. Dmitri started a gang, the Blitz, to help protect our righteous home, with me at his side. T, J, and M were quick to follow into it, and pretty soon, plenty of kids had dedicated themselves into our "family." And that's what we were.  
  
Six and a half years passed. Trials threatened to break up our group, but we were strong. I still hadn't become the ultimate warrior, but good enough to defend myself should Dmitri not be there to protect me. I knew, deep down, that one day, I'd be placed in a situation where I'd have to save myself. And I convinced to train me in self-defense. I was one of the best in the Blitz. There was romance between Jacob and Mina. I suspected there was something between Dmitri and myself as well. I'd be my happiest with him, not that that was any different than ever. We'd hang out by ourselves a lot. Sometimes, he'd lift me into our special tree, onto one of the lower branches, and we'd watch the sunset together. Together. Just like always. And that's the way we thought it would forever be. Us. Together.  
  
That all changed when Hiei showed up. He had destroyed countless cities. We were a village who protected ourselves with the policy of isolation. It had slowly been weakening over time, allowing loopholes, and more people came. The tourists stopped altogether after the attacks, as we called them. Eventually, some time passed, with no word of an ambush. Maybe someone had defeated the apparition, and the world could be at peace again. We were wrong.  
  
He found us. The village was in ruins in no time, pride tearing us apart because he had had only a few soldiers with him. Soldiers we had thought our allies. The Blitz had been easily defeated, much to our surprise, anger, and dismay. A few of us were left standing, and found ourselves on the main street. The market street.  
  
Flames covered the city, and no one was screaming anymore. They were all gone. Some lucky people had managed to escape, only to be apprehended by Hiei and made to pay for their mistakes later. Many had been shown no mercy and were murdered on the spot.  
  
Todd lay where he had fallen, unconscious, at the wall of the bakery he had been thrown at, paint, and pieces of brick surrounding him, parted from the wall. He hadn't managed to avoid a few blood-stains. But we knew he'd survive. Jacob and Mina were in an alley, dead, Mina in Jacobs arms. Tears had mingled with other colors that had been flung on their clothes, staining their shirts, and pants. There were more than a few cuts and bruises. And more serious things.  
  
Dmitri and Hiei stood facing each other, about ten yards apart. They were going to face off. Dmitri stood in front of me, determined that no one should lay a hand against me. I caught a glimpse of our enemy. He was quite good-looking. How can someone that hot be so cruel and heartless? I shook off all those thoughts. I was in love with Dmitri.  
  
"Go! Run, Kohari!" Dmitri yelled at me, sweat and blood coating his face and body. He flung his hand out so that it was between me and that evil assassin. I tried, looking on in fear as Dmitri drew his sword, and Hiei his. I tried to run, but my feelings for Dmitri hindered me from going more than to the end of the street, almost to the gates. I was scared that Dmitri would fail. I wished desperately that he would succeed. I could run no farther, and watched as the two battled it out.   
  
Dmitri fought valiantly, but after taking on the soldiers, he was exhausted, and couldn't block Hiei's blade with his own for very long. I couldn't turn my eyes away as Hiei dug his sword into my best friend in the entire world.   
  
I sunk to my knees, tears threatening to flood from my eyes, terrified that Hiei would come after me next. I was paralyzed. I couldn't move away as he drew closer to me, Dmitri's blood dripping fom the sword. He stood a foot in front of me, and I had my arm covering my face, dreading what would happen next. I could see him grinning at me, eager for the kill, weapon poised, pointing right at me. I shut my eyes, not wanting to see how he was going to finish me.  
  
No attack came. I heard a metallic click of his sword being sheathed. I opened my eyes again, curious. "You're not worth it," he growled at me. "Run. Get out of my sight before I change my mind."  
  
I nodded, and took this opportunity to get out of that danger zone. Everyone knew that Hiei had a vivid bloodlust, and when he gave you a chance to escape, you took it. He enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, you could say.  
  
I returned shortly afterward, and the village was practically nothing. Dmitri lay on his side on the ground, face down, on his arm. The soldiers were gone. Of course. They never hung around long after terrorizing a place. I ran to my leader, taking him in my arms, back against my stomach, laying him on my lap. I turned his face to look at me, and his eyes were shut. I cried. I had never cried in my life. Not even when my kitty died. Never. I poured out all the tears I had stored inside me. He was gone, never to return.  
  
Todd approached me, clutching his side, badly hurt. He knelt down beside me, and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Oh, Todd!" I sobbed, and buried my face in his chest, hugging him for dear life. DM (his nickname) stayed on my lap. He had said that he'd protect me with his life. And he had done it.  
  
It turned out that a lot of the Blitz had survived. We took it upon ourselves to clean up the town and bury the dead. Since that incident in the street, I hadn't touched my buddy's body. I couldn't. And I couldn't bring myself to touch anyone else's.  
  
We left soon after that. All of us. Hiei was one to do a job thoroughly. He would return, and we all knew it. The Blitz vowed to take down that bastard. We followed a trail of trashed cities, picking up a few helpers along the way. Todd had taken it upon himself to do what Dmitri had sworn to do. Protect me. He took it a little too seriously. I couldn't go anywhere by myself, except to bathe, and even then he kept watch to make sure nothing happened (he didn't look).   
  
One day, a woman with strangely-colored hair met up with us while we were pulling a clean-up crew on some of Hiei's thugs, a few days after Hiei's disappearance. I would knock them out and leave the easy part to the others. I couldn't kill them. I just couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to take the life of another. The others understood. We were family, and they forced me to do nothing, never criticising that I was their new leader, alongside Todd.  
  
At the village, at Dmitri and my favorite hiding place, there was a white towel, hung to a special tree, tear-stained, and my handprint, in Dmitri's blood. A symbol that we were friends, together, forever.  
  
Kohari: Oh, how sad. Anyway, review for me! And character spots are still open! Byes! 


	5. Chapter 5

To Break the Chain  
  
Kohari: Ya know what? This is sad. This story is my favorite of all the ones I've been writing, and yet, it has the least reviews. With the exception of "Max and Tyson's 4th July Adventure," "Note on Your Doorstep", and "Dream I Had 1 Nite," which were all one-shots and the last of which was the inspiration for this. I feel bad. And stupid. I feel like Kuwabara (sorry, Kuwabara fans). Those of you who are reading this and not reviewing...you're really messing up my self-esteem. --mood swing-- YOU BETTER REVIEW THIS TIME OR I SWEAR I'LL -  
  
Hiei: --clamps hand over her mouth-- Shut...up...  
  
Kohari: Okay.   
  
Yusuke: Haha! Hiei likes being the one to dole out the death threats. Kohari wasn't even serious.  
  
Kurama: She doesn't own YYH, either...  
  
Kohari: Let's just get this thing going, shall we?  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Construction had begun on the new base. They had decided instead of just remodeling the mall, they would demolish it and build their super-cool, high-tech, bad-ass base over the remains.  
  
With Hiei's death threats (Yusuke: Told Ya!) ringing in their ears, the soldiers went to work immediately. Amazingly, they had to finish the job within twenty-four hours. Luckily for them, there were a whole lot of traitors in Hiei's force.  
  
20,000 beige jumpsuit uniforms with burgundy flames imprinted on the back worked in unison to put the iron bars, wires, restrooms, and pipes in place. Hiei hadn't approved of the uniforms, saying they were tacky, hideous, and reminded him of "Kuwabaka" in their lack of style. However, they were cheap, and nobody was going to argue. True, the uniforms were ugly, but not nearly as repulsive as Hiei's attitude toward them. But none of them were brave enough, or that moronic, to tell the apparition that to his face. They all wanted to live, thank you, even if it was in a sort of Hell on Earth.  
  
They succeeded in their deed, defying time calculations and all else. Interestingly enough, you can accomplish miracles when your life is on the line, huh?  
  
The safey-glass doors slid open automatically, allowing the new world leader in, cape flapping around behind him in the wind, and two bodyguards at his side. Not that he'd need them. It just looked more intimidating to rebellious peasants.  
  
His boots echoed through the halls as he passed, the workers scattering to hide behind various objects, praying that Hiei liked the job. If not, then Hiei would be furious. And when Hiei became mad, he took it out on the nearest object. In any way possible. His preference was destruction. Complete and total destruction.  
  
He slowly made his way around the base. It was made to be like...imagine a bubble wand (A/n: No, I didn't steal that from Harry Potter, which I do not own. It was just the first thing that came to mind to help you see it in your mind.). That was similar in shape and design from an aerial point of view, only the straight portion was probably a mile in width, and the rest to similar proportions. As to how long it was from the entrance to the circle, where all the computers were (and yes, there was a big hole in the middle of the non-cornered shape, looking at it from the sky), let's just say, it's a lot of walking.  
  
Soldiers peered behind glass windows, corners of walls, and everything else. But they couldn't see past Hiei's usual expression: a scowl. Was it a good thing? Had they done wrong, or was it perfect? Not that Hiei would ever admit that they had ever done anything to perfection.  
  
Hiei's inspection went without casualties, and nothing was destroyed. The physical appearance to the base was tolerable, according to his words. As for the purpose, it would suit it well enough.  
  
A probe had tracked every step the apparition had taken, recording his every movement, every breath. The Blitz and Team Urameshi were getting every detail on this new base, with plans to infiltrate it as soon as possible and wipe it off the map. As annihilate the thing. The mini-camera remained long after the former member of the team had left. Somehow, Todd and the rest knew that Hiei had been well aware of their probe's presence.  
  
It mattered not. The team took this opportunity to scope out the place. It was built exquisitely, and some of them awed at the excellent quality that had been achieved even with the short amount of time they had been given.  
  
The camera zoomed into the control room, transmitting its findings to the Urameshi crew. Buttons, computers, and the like lined the room, serving for decoration and working purposes. Nothing was labeled, so they didn't know what any of the many levers, buttons, and files would do. It had been too much to hope for...the probe being able to switch on the self-destruct activators. But they hadn't really thought they'd find anything like that anyway. All things they needed to find, the humans would need to go in an seek for themselves.  
  
The probe returned to its headquarters. The members of the Urameshi team complimented its size and abilities. It was high-quality stuff. Certainly up-to-date technology.  
  
"So who made this thing?" Yusuke asked, holding the little-bigger-than-a-speck-sized camera in the palm of his hand, rolling it over in his hand, and looking at the huge screen nearby to see all that it had captured.  
  
"An important member of our team," Todd answered. Kohari nodded.  
  
"Don't know what we'd do without him," she agreed.  
  
"Who?" Kuwabara pressed.   
  
"I admit, I am curious as well," Kurama remarked. Some feeling made them all then turn toward the door at that moment.  
  
Their stares were met with blood-red eyes, glaring from the shadows of the doorway. A boy stepped into the light of the room.  
  
"I am," he said plainly and mysteriously. Was there an evil tone to his voice? Or were they mistaken?  
  
Kohari: Ooooh. Scary! Not. Yes, we have a new character, thanks to Bar-Ohki! You rule! Thank you for this awesome character. You get a cookie! --gives cookie--. Review for me! Next chapter coming soon! 


	6. Chapter 6

To Break the Chain  
  
Kohari: Yeah! We have a new character! He rules! I think. And I shall credit...Bar-Ohki for him, even though I had to change him to fit our needs. And DO NOT see me as the same Kohari as in the story! We are two different people. Anyway, you can't sue me for this cuz I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. I won't waste any time beating around the bush. To the fic!  
  
Chapter 6  
  
"I am," the stranger said plainly and mysteriously.  
  
"Who's the shrimp?" Yusuke inquired rudely, while gawking at the height-challenged runt.  
  
"Finally, someone shorter than Hiei!" Kuwabara laughed. Even Kurama couldn't resist a small chuckle, hiding his smile with his hand in front of his mouth.  
  
All these insults, though they were only playing around, made the newcomer angry. He glared Hiei's signature death glare as he stopped where he was, a few feet from the doorway. He seemed to be internally debating whether to take this bull crap or to slice their heads off with the short, curved sword hanging at his belt beside his daggers and ropes.  
  
Todd walked over to the boy, who happened to be 4' 7", ruffling the shorter boy's hair, who looked annoyed at this display of friendly affection. "This is Mal. He handles all the stealth stuff. Not to mention all the technical stuff," he explained.  
  
"Malhavoc," the boy corrected, stating his full name. His voice was a little...flat, evil...like he had a dark past.  
  
"Oh, come on, Mal. That's what you let us call you," Kohari pleaded as she skipped behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, locking her fingers and letting them hang down to his chest, leaning her head against his (they're just friends!). He didn't seem all that enthusiastic about this display, either.  
  
"Please don't do that." His voice was the same as it was. No emotion whatsoever.  
  
She let go of him, putting her hands in the air as though she was being arrested and stepping away slowly.  
  
"It's what he lets you call him," Todd contradicted. "He doesn't answer by that name to anyone else."  
  
"I think you're just jealous," Kohari chided playfully. Todd took the bait, and walked to where he was inches from her face. They were both just messing around. You could tell by the fact that Kohari was laughing and Todd was trying (and failing) to hide a small smile.  
  
"And why would I be?" he challenged. Malhavoc was nonchalant to this whole thing.  
  
"Because I don't hang on you like that," Kohari answered, unhesitant. Mal snorted and said something that sounded like "lucky." All ignored this.  
  
"And I should care because…" Todd continued.  
  
"I don't know why you should. Why don't you tell us why you were blushing when I did it?" She smirked at this. She got him there. Todd blushed at this as well.  
  
"I did not," he lied, the red tint in his cheeks darkening.  
  
"Mm-hmm," she said sarcastically, walking past him.  
  
"Why do you hang on him?" Todd asked. She turned around.  
  
"Because he's short. I dunno," she laughed. She turned quickly to the mastermind behind the Blitz quickly, realizing what she said, "No offense, buddy."  
  
"Whatever." Malhavoc took his exit.  
  
"What's up with Half-pint?" Kuwabara asked once the boy was out of earshot.  
  
"He's always like that," Todd shrugged it off. "But I will say, he is quite an asset to the team."  
  
"Does he even listen? He doesn't look like one to respect authority," Yusuke commented, jerking his head in the doorway's direction.  
  
"Believe it or not, he actually does. He's not really a rebel in his own ranks, if you get what I'm saying." (Todd)  
  
"How long you guys known him? Childhood friend?" Yusuke again questioned.  
  
"No," Kohari and Todd answered at the same time as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"Actually, it was right after we left the village," Todd recalled. "We camped in some city, and we split up to search for supplies. Next thing we know, Kohari shows up with the kid." She nodded.  
  
"How old is he?" Kurama wondered.  
  
"No idea." Silence followed for a while.  
  
"Like I said, though," Todd went on, "I don't know what we'd do without him." He pulls up some files on the computer, and the screen scrolls down it all on its own, showing all kinds of remarkable work. "The kid's brilliant. Best stealth in the world. Ain't nothing he can't hack into, and his size is valuable when it comes to infiltrating a base. Of any kind."   
  
"And you know this how? You seem like amateurs," Yusuke observed rudely. Todd raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Amateurs?" he repeated. "Dude, how d'ya think that base near the mountain disappeared?" Awed silence from Team Urameshi. "Though, I don't know why I'm taking the credit for the team. Mal did that all on his own."  
  
"Astonishing," Kurama praised.   
  
"Interesting hair color," Kuwabara said randomly.   
  
"Huh?" (everyone)  
  
"Pipsqueak, there. Red streaks aren't exactly common. And they didn't look unnatural, if you ask me," he answered. "And with his size, he's bound to be noticed."  
  
"The kid's a natural at this stuff, I'm telling ya," Todd restated.  
  
"Must you call him a child?" Kohari broke in, startling him somewhat. "He respects you. Don't you think he, too, deserves some respect? And you don't even know if he is a kid. He could be an adult for all you know."  
  
"I think you like the boy," Todd responded with a false assumption, hoping it wasn't true. She got an infuriated look on her face, turned from him, and crossed her arms.  
  
"Certainly not!" she declared truthfully. "My heart belongs only to Dmitri." Nobody noticed that this last statement slightly wounded Todd. "And besides, he's the most loyal friend you could ask for, Mal is. More so even than you at times, Todd!"   
  
"Excuse me?!" Argument time. This happened frequently, unbeknownst to the newcomers. "When have I ever abandoned you? Tell me!" She got quiet a moment, as though hesitant to say anything. Todd took this to mean that she couldn't think of a time. She glared at him.  
  
"When I fell off the balcony when we were kids. You weren't the one that reached for my hand to pull me back up. Dmitri was. And when I was nearly crushed by that avalanche. You weren't the one that pushed me aside to prevent it. Mal did. Let's see…is there anything else I forgot?" This last part was sarcastic. Truthbetold, she couldn't think of anything else.  
  
"Okay. I get it!" Todd admitted. "So I wasn't 100% there for you. But you said yourself that you could look after yourself didn't you?!" No one noticed that a pair of red eyes witnessed the whole scene. Team Urameshi didn't know what to do about this. It was a little awkward.  
  
"Just shut up." Kohari turned once again to glare at him, though she had calmed down by now. "This isn't helping. And I don't have to take this." She started to leave.  
  
"Where exactly do you think you're going?" Todd demanded.  
  
"Somewhere away from you," came the response. When she was gone, the leader (Todd) sighed.  
  
"That girl…" He began to rub his temples in irritation. He regretted his harsh words, now. "Sometimes, she is just so..." he didn't finish his sentence. He turned to the others. "Well, back to business."  
  
Kohari had retreated to a balcony overlooking a stream-like trail of water a large, broken water pipe had created. It was a great view, for what it was, one had to admit. After a few minutes of tears pouring down her face, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Go away, Todd," she commanded blankly.  
  
Nobody answered but when a tissue began to wipe the drops of sadness and their trails from her face, she knew it most definitely was not her new leader. "Oh." Mal stooped down in front of her and delicately wiped away the tears. A side probably nobody had seen before. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem." He stood and got ready to leave, but she grabbed his hand, and he stayed.  
  
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm not usually this pathetic."  
  
"Why should you be sorry for crying?"  
  
"It's weak."  
  
"Why?" She couldn't answer that.  
  
"You don't cry, either."  
  
"I have nothing to shed tears over." He retained his emotionless tone. And he spoke truthfully. He had lost everything. Silence followed. All of a sudden, Kohari just blurt out something.  
  
"Before Hiei had shown up, I had never shed a single tear. Never!" The eye-water began to fall once again. "Not even when things most precious to me were taken from me! Not when the village was in ruins. Only when Dmitri died did I ever let my emotions take me over. And look at me now! I shouldn't cry over something so stupid! Especially not over TODD!" She pounded her fist into the concrete. "I hate him sometimes. He's always doing this. As though nothing I do is good enough. Even when Dmitri was alive..." she left off there. Thinking of him made her...weaker...  
  
"If you're so tired of it, why don't you just leave?" This was unexpected.  
  
"Huh?" She looked at him as he got ready to leave.  
  
"I'm not saying that you aren't valuable to this team as well. But you do have a say in what happens. The Blitz follows you because they know they can trust your leadership abilities. From what I heard, they were hesitant to take even a second glance at you until Dmitri showed them that you were just as good as he was."  
  
"But I wasn't..." This was the most he had ever said.  
  
"To them you were. They follow you because they have seen firsthand your talent. They follow Todd because you do." He was solemn. You could never tell what this guy was thinking, but somehow, you knew that he would never lie to you. Unless it was for your own protection, and there had never been a call for that.  
  
"How do you know this?" Kohari was astounded by what the "stranger of the team" had to say.  
  
"Amazing what you hear when no one thinks you are listening."  
  
"Oh yeah. Stealth expert. I had forgotten," she laughed a little. A rare sound for the times.  
  
"You are the one that truly leads this team, Kohari. They will not hesitate to abandon Todd if you force them to choose between you. If you leave, they will follow."  
  
"Would you?" Silence.  
  
"I go where I am needed most. My loyalties lie equally between you and Todd." Again silence. He turned to leave. "You can free yourself of this prison, Kohari. You needn't put yourself through this torture if that is what it is to you. But it's your call. I cannot direct your life for you." He got ready to take his leave.  
  
"Wait!" Kohari called out. "How old are you really?"  
  
"Sixteen." The word was barely audible. "But it feels like three times that age at times." And before she could blink her eye, he had disappeared.  
  
"Mysterious boy," she commented, gazing at the flow of the the water. "Oh, well. I suppose I could leave. But...Todd may not be able to make it on his own, if what Mal said's true. And he'd never forgive me. I can't afford to lose on of the few friends I have. Not someone so close to Dmitri." She sighed. "Looks like I'm stuck here." She went inside to check up on the plans to invade the base.  
  
Back in an underground lab that Team Urameshi had uncovered, thanks to Botan, Todd called for Malhavoc, who appeared immediately.   
  
"Where is she?" were the first words out of the commanders mouth.  
  
"I would know why?" he answered a question with a question.  
  
"You know everything that goes on around here. You just don't tell anyone." Todd was stern and firm.  
  
"This is all true," the addressed smirked. "She is closer than you think," and he left.  
  
"Why does he speak in riddles?!" Todd asked aloud, to no one in particular. Returning to the search subject, he demanded to know from some of the "guards" at the lab entrance, "Where is Kohari!" It was more a statement than a question.  
  
"Calm down. Geez, you're loud enough to wake the dead," came a voice from the entrance, and a black-clad Kohari stepped in. "I'm right here."  
  
"About time you got your little ass in here. I'm about to go over these plans with Yusuke's group. Do you plan to join them?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then get over here!"  
  
"There's no need to shout, you know," Kurama broke in in an attempt to prevent another fight.  
  
"Yeah. You guys are supposed to be friends," Kuwabara added.  
  
"Look," Todd calmed down, as Kohari walked quietly and calmly to the map projection, glancing over the plans. "I'm sorry, alright? Forgive me, Ko?" She gave him a long, hard stare.   
  
"Should I?" The inquiry shocked Todd.  
  
"What do you mean?! I'm apologizing. I think you should accept."  
  
"Then I will. But only because of our childhood friendship." They shook hands, and Todd began to go over the plans that, of course, Malhavoc had drawn up.  
  
"Tomorrow," Todd announced, "We attack. Dismissed." They filed out of the room. When they were gone, Todd was left standing in the center of the lab. "I see you are still stuck on Dmitri, Kohari," he whispered to himself. "You will be mine, girl. I will make you. No matter what it takes. I will replace that bastard you admired over me!" he vowed angrily to himself. Then he went to his sleeping area.  
  
In Kohari's "dorm", she had a flashback of that day, where Dmitri had died. Hiei had been the enemy, and yet, she was drawn to him. She had felt herself, halfway lost in his fiery eyes. She should hate him for what he did, but why couldn't she? She sighed and leaned against the wall. What was a girl to do when she couldn't even figure out where her heart belonged, much less control it. 'Kohari, you idiot,' she thought as she slept.  
  
Kohari: Remember, review! I really am not sure I like the "middle" scene. It seems like a romance scene. But it wasn't meant to be. It's called sympathy. Pity. Friendship. Oh, God, I'm starting to sound like Anzu. That is just plain wrong. Oh, well. Tell me what you think. I've got big plans for this fic, but I can't continue unless I get...Well, it seems that I've gotten three reviews for the majority of the chapters, so I want 15 reviews. More would be good, but 15 minimum. I am too nice. Byes! 


	7. Chapter 7

To Break the Chain  
  
Kohari: Well, I got sixteen reviews. Sorry it took so long for me to update. It's gonna be even worse from now on. School starts, for me, on Monday --anime cry--. That's gonna suck. So, I'm writing this to celebrate summer vacation (which will be longer next year! YAY!). Enjoy!  
  
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Chapter 7  
  
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(A/N: This is completely irrelevent, but I'm listening to "Break Down Here" by Julie Roberts. "Out in the middle of nowhere, noway, I'm in trouble if these wheels stop rolling..." Sorry.)  
  
"So what's the game plan?" Yusuke asked as quietly as he could. The last thing they needed was guards all over their sorry little asses. Crouching in these bushes was bad enough. Stupid wedgies.  
  
"They don't have great security," Malhavoc started, but was interrupted by Kuwabara.  
  
"Why are we doing this? We are so gonna die! We're gonna die!" Kohari clamped her hand over his mouth. He had practically shouted it, and the strange noise had alerted the guards to their presence.  
  
"You twit!" she hissed. The two men from Hiei's army wandered over cautiously, whispering suspicions. "What're we gonna do, Todd?"  
  
"We're gonna whoop their ass," he answered, and when the guards got close enough, they pulled them into the shrubbery, pummeling the guards senseless.  
  
"Someone's bound to notice their disappearance," Mal pointed out.  
  
"That's kinda why I say we go in now," Todd replied. He handed out communicators.  
  
"I stand corrected," Kuwabara stated. "NOW, we're gonna die." At least this time he managed to keep his voice down. The others shook their heads at the hopeless moron. Why was he on their team, again?  
  
"We are not gonna die, you idiot!" Mal whispered harshly. "If we stick to the plan, we should be able to take down Hiei's strongest base. And if you keep your mouth shut, we may keep our heads." Everyone stared. Before they could blink, Mal had pulled out his signature dagger, the blade resting against Kazuma's throat. "You screw this up, and I swear..." He left off there, intensifying the torture. "Understood?" Kuwabara nodded. "Good." He put his weapon away and briefed them once again on what they needed to do. "Let's go."  
  
They mustered up all their stealth and courage as they made their way to the entrance. A few times, they were nearly caught by the guards, but a few slashes from Kurama's rose whip took care of the problem. None of the nuisances were dead, but the thought was very tempting to the fox after their insults and threats.  
  
They managed to avoid the multiple cameras (yes, even with the fights) and force their way to the control room. From their hiding place they heard his voice discussing battle strategies and threatening his minions, describing in detail what would happen if they failed.  
  
"Kohari, leave now," Todd ordered, remembering to keep his voice low.  
  
"What?!" she cried softly so Hiei and his soldiers wouldn't hear her. "No, I'm coming with you!"  
  
"No. Todd's right," Mal agreed with his leader. Kohari turned to him and glared at him as if he had betrayed her. "There are quite a few flaws in this scheme now that Hiei's actually here. If we don't make it...someone has to continue the resistance."  
  
"Does this have anything to do with her being a female?" Kuwabara asked, his voice barely a whisper.  
  
"Partially," Todd answered honestly. Kohari gasped.  
  
"How rude!"  
  
"No, it's not."  
  
"Is."  
  
"It's not just that, okay?" The argument went back to Todd. "Dmitri trained you personally. Not me. You're the one that should succeed me if we don't get through this. And there's still a chance this isn't suicide."  
  
"You suck."  
  
"Go. Now," Mal broke in. Everyone looked at him. "It's time." Kohari nodded sadly, and walked out, careful that no one but her team saw. The others rushed in when she was around a corner and out of sight.  
  
The sounds of battle and explosions halted her at the entrance. Her hand was on the door. No one had replaced the guards at the front, so she had no worries about escaping. But something kept her from leaving. After a few minutes, there was silence. She checked the communicator, calling out individually her teammates' names. No response. It was true; they had failed. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she couldn't allow herself to cry. She had to remain strong...for them.  
  
She opened the door and took a few steps out. Her rounded-toe boots collected a little dust, but she didn't care. Before Hiei had shown up, the thought of dirt on her shoes would've drove her insane. Now, it was the least of her problems. She turned around for a second, looking back, then closed her eyes. In her mind, she said her final farewells.  
  
As she turned again to leave, she gasped as she found herself facing a taller version of Hiei. No, it was Hiei. But taller? How? Genetic experiments. She had discovered some of the files last night. So it had been successful. She whispered, "Uh-oh," aware that she was in huge trouble. She wasn't afraid. She was terrified.  
  
"Yeah. Uh-oh," the apparition taunted. Kohari was frozen in place, looking around, trying to figure out what to do. She made a dash to her right, but was caught by a Spirit Chain, a technique she herself had been studying, and pulled back to her enemy. He had her back against his chest, one hand clasped around her wrists, preventing her from using them. He had a hand to her neck, ready to strangle her should she try anything. The idea to kick him occured to her, but she knew that as a reflex, his hand would close tighter around her throat. She would never have a chance.  
  
"Game over, bitch." Kohari closed her eyes, bracing herself for any attack that he would use to finish her, but instead found herself being flung away. He gave her a glare as he went back inside the base, no sneer, but a scowl on his face. Hatred was etched all over it.  
  
He had spared her? Again? Was this possible? How long was he going to draw out her death? And where would she run to now? She sighed as she made her way to Yukina's street to meditate. She, too, knew its secret, and really needed some time to get her thoughts together. What she had felt when she had been brought under Hiei's mercy wasn't just fear. There was something else there. Something familiar. But it wasn't possible. (A/N: Not to ruin the moment, but "Together We Can" by Cheetah Girls!)  
  
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Todd pulled himself out of the rubble. They had managed to do okay. At least, until Hiei stepped in. He had just stood there, just watching them "die," like it was amusing. Then, we most of them had proven themselves unable to "survive," Hiei decided it was time to test out his newfound skills. Was it him, or had the apparition seemed...taller? Oh, yeah. Kohari had found some files on genetic engineering that night. Had they actually attempted it so soon?  
  
He heard the girl's voice over the communicator, calling out to him and the others. He could barely pick himself up. There was no way he'd be able to get to it. He collapsed on the cold steel of the floor, sweat pooling onto the metallic surface. He heard her desperation and could do nothing to assure her that he was okay. Couldn't say the same for the others, though. He heard the communicator drop on the other end of the line and a gasp. Hiei had gotten to Kohari. No. He heard the short struggle, and Hiei's voice say, "Game over, bitch." Then, there was the sound of someone stumbling, Kohari, before falling to the ground. So Hiei had spared him, but not her. How evil could someone be?  
  
He hadn't heard her sigh, signalling that she lived on. The dragon-master had trod, purposely, on the communicator, completely destroying it. Circuits and wires were strung all over the ground, though Todd could not see this.  
  
He also could not see his teammates, who had been buried under the rocks and crumbled walls. They were alive. Barely. But he, again, didn't know this.  
  
He sighed, regretting he had made them do this so early. Had they waited until Hiei had left, maybe they...But no. There was no use dwelling on the past and mistakes. After a quick rest, he ran out of the base, toward the park. There was a special pavillion there that he liked to sit under since arriving in this city. Little did he know what would be waiting for him there.  
  
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Kohari got up from her kneeling position in the street. Maybe there was a chance that Todd was still alive. If Hiei had spared her, then it was possible he had allowed Todd to remain breathing as well. There was one place he loved to go. To be alone. To gather HIS thoughts. The pavillion on the far side of the park. She had to check. That was where he'd be if he were spared. She had lost Dmitri. She couldn't afford to lose Todd as well.  
  
She let out a determined breath and inhaled again deeply. 'Here I go. Please, God, let Todd be there.'  
  
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Kohari (authoress): Well. This chapter's over. Was it worth the wait? I hope so. You want a preview of the next chapter? Too bad! MWAHAHAHAHA! Well, I've been somewhat nice up until now, might as well give you a sneak peak.  
  
Next Time: Showdown! Todd vs Hiei. What will happen to Kohari (character)?  
  
Kohari (authoress): Okay. Review for me. And I'll hurry along with the next chapter. BTW, I finally turned off my music. I found myself trying to type the lyrics and the story at the same time. Very annoying. Anywho, Byes! 


	8. Chapter 8

To Break the Chain

Chapter 8

Kohari: I'm sorry those of you who read the crappy version of chapter 7. No paragraphs? I was PO'd when I found out something had screwed up. I typed it in paragraphs. What went wrong? Who cares. Hopefully it's fixed now. I'm sorry for the confusion. Here's chapter 8.

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Chapter 8

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Her feet pounded rapidly against the pavement as she rushed to the pavillion. How could she have doubted Todd? He was strong. And he had a promise to keep. Dmitri was no longer around to protect her, and now that Todd was the last close friend she had from the village, he'd never let her down.

Kohari shifted the pack that was slung across her shoulders. In it were various potions, herbs, and medical supplies. Yes, there were even some poisons and venom samples. But she never used them. Good thing she had thought to bring along some of the stock from what had once been the village's hospital. There were a few various plants that only grew in that region. Very useful plants.

As she ran, she inspected the confines of her backpack to check and make sure everything was still there that she'd need. Todd would need serious medical attention if he had survived a confrontation with Hiei.

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Todd stumbled into the pavillion, grasping the pillars for additional support. It took everything he had to stand, so walking wasn't exactly an easy feat.

He plopped down on the bench of one of the picnic tables. The clock mounted between the restroom doorframes and above the water fountain claimed it wsa only two o'clock in the afternoon, but who could tell anymore?

The leader of the Blitz sighed. He hurt all over and he was so tired, so worn out. What he would give to sleep for one week. But he had things he needed to do. He let his head fall sleepily onto the hard, ages wood of the picnic table. Just five minutes' rest. Then he'd be ready for battle, should it come. He felt himself gradually slipping away from consciousness. But someone didn't want that.

He awoke from his trance as he heard boots step onto the concrete floor of the pavillion behind him. He jerked his head up, not wanting to see who was behind him. He tensed up, ready to defend himself. Slowly, he turned around.

_Boom_! Someone stuck him and he landed on the floor, wiping blood from his busted lip. "Hiei," he whispered with hatred, bloodlust dripping from the name he had pronounced. He would pay for what he had done to Kohari. To the one Dmitri, his best friend had loved, as well as himself. There was no excuse for murdering a young woman. This man/boy had no morals. The apparition sneered at him.

Todd got to his feet. "I'll kill you," he vowed, his voice low, but dangerous. "You'll pay for killing Kohari."

"She's not dead, you insolent bastard," came the reply. There was no longer any expression on the face of Todd's opponent. It was impossible now to tell if he was lying. "She's alive. And headed this way, I believe."

"I heard you destroy her. I refuse to believe you!" Todd declared. Hiei shrugged and tossed him a dagger.

"It is unsporting to attack an unarmed opponent. Though, I don't think that'll help much," Hiei taunted. Todd glared at him. He had sworn revenge. First, this flames-master had assassinated someone very close to him. And now, he was lying about it. Morals? As he had thought before, this new "ruler" had none.

"Since when do you care about etiquette and courtesy in the face of battle?" Todd spat at the koorime (hope I got that term right). "You have no honor, only pride! You have no pity, only boredom! What do you know about sport?"

Hiei ignored this. He readied his signature sword. "Attack me if you wish."

"Oh, I wish," affirmed Todd, and he charged.

While this clash took place, Kohari raced toward the pavillion. The park was pretty big for the city. By the time she had reached the pavillion, the fray had already begun. She hid behind one of the pillars, watching with horror, not daring to step in as the final move was made. The blade belonging to the forbidden child had made contact with the body of her leader, never to breathe again. She clung to the support in shock, moving as Hiei walked past. Somehow, she was aware that he knew she was there.

As soon as he was gone, she ran to her friend, positioning him the same way she had Dmitri in his dying moments. But this time, the unfortunate had enough life in him to speak a few last words.

"I'm...sorry..." Todd breathed, with visible difficulty.

"Don't be. It's okay. I'll...Maybe I can help on, don't die on me...you can't leave me!" she pleaded.

"No...it's too late...but...I'm really...sorry..."

"Don't speak or it will be too late...you'll be fine. Please! There's nothing to be sorry for."

"No...there is. I...was jealous..." his words were getting harder and harder to hear. He was fading. Fast.

"Of who?" Her curiosity was aroused. There was something he really wanted to tell her. Something important in his eyes. Something he was going to tell her even if the effort killed him.

"Dmitri..."

"Why?"

"I...you loved...him...and..."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I never told you...but...I..."

"What?"

"I love you." His final words. His body grew limp as he passed from this world. She wished so badly she could cry now. But her eyes remained dry. She wanted so badly to release the poison of sorrow from her body with those salty drops of water we call tears. But she couldn't. She rose.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, and she fled. She couldn't bear to be around his body anymore. It was no longer Todd. It was just an empty shell, and she couldn't stand being in its presence any longer.

When she had run as far as she could go, without looking back, she flung herself on the ground, head in her hands. No tears came, no matter how hard she willed them to. An hour passed of just sitting there, wrapped in self-pity, trapped within the barriers of her mind, on the borderline of consciousness and unconsciousness. Then, it finally dawned on her what Todd had said. He had been jealous of Dmitri. He loved her. Only one person had ever said those three words to her. Dmitri. Now, both of them had been taken from her. Hiei had deprived her of her happiness. And he would regret this. She was not going to let him get away with this.

Her eyes locked on the towering mansion in the distance. She rose, vengeance reflecting in the sky-blue orbs, not taking her eyes off the evil apparition's stronghold. She had all the weapons she needed. It was time she took on the mastermind behind the world's misery.

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Hiei was sprawled out on a couch in one of the many lounges in his castle, cleansing his favorite sword of potential bloodstains. He smirked. So the little wench behind the Blitz thought she could take him on. This should be amusing. He was wondering how many people he'd have to kill before she'd finally rise up to his challenge.

The bitch appeared as silent as a shadow in the doorway, eyes practically glowing with fury. If you could see her, you'd swear even her eyes were a wine-red color. Blood-red.

"You finally decide you're ready to fight me?" The creator of her pain didn't look at her, proof he disrespected her. He smiled as he did so, knowing this was annoying her. He wanted to get her as angry as possible. It would make the brawl more exciting.

"Excuse me?" Confusion mixed with her hatred. "You're the one refusing to fight me!"

"One would think you'd figure out that you were too weak to even think of challenging me. You'd have to have a bloodlust to stand even a sliver of a chance of surviving an encounter with me."

"So you killed them...just so you could piss me off?" His only response was a defiant sneer. "Bastard..."

Before she knew it, the apparition was in front of her. His speed was...indescribable. She gasped in surprise, involuntarily taking a step back. He held out two swords to her. His...and another one. "Take your pick."

"Either one?" she made sure. He nodded. After a moment of thought, she reluctantly clasped her hand around the hilt of his signature sword, not taking her eyes of him. She was skeptical, and she didn't bother to hide it.

"You know it better," she explained, malice in her tone. Would it give her an advantage? When she had taken its full weight into her hand, he withdrew, poising his weapon, ready to strike. Was he that impatient to take her life? In his eyes were playfulness, like this was just a game. Like he knew she couldn't win. This ticked her off further. He jerked his head, telling her she was allowed the first move.

She wasted no time. Though she wasn't as advanced as Hiei, her agility and speed (there IS a difference, folks) were impressive as well. He dodged, barely a blur as he moved, missing the blade by inches. Taunting her. They were both hardly visible. Kohari kept attacking, and Hiei kept dodging. Wearing her down.

Suddenly, she collapsed. Her right knee had buckled, and her other leg couldn't support her weight. There was a huge gash in her leg, blood beginning to pool inside the cut. He had attacked her and she hadn't even noticed. Faster than she would've liked, she found herself against the wall, Hiei's sword close enough, just touching the surface of the skin on her neck.

"Time!" she gasped. "Please." She hadn't predicted this. She hadn't predicted any of the actions they had taken. "A minute to rest." Her eyes were pleading. She had been lowered a notch. Hiei knew he was the one with the advantage. His eyes lowered, as did his sword. He had granted her her request.

"ONE minute," he emphasized. She didn't waste any of her precious seconds. She fled into the next room, and leaned against the window, clutching her leg. This shouldn't have been possible. There had been a flaw in her strategy. Something had been holding her back. She should've at least had some sort of standing against the apparition, but Hiei had held control of the fight the whole time. What had gone wrong?

She couldn't fight him. She knew it. There was something there. Something she hadn't felt...since...She didn't want to think about it. Should she tell him? It wouldn't change anything. She knew that as well. She had dropped the sword long before. She was unarmed. Defenseless. She took out a pistol from its attachment on her ankle. It was so tiny. It only had enough room for ammo that gave her one shot. Emergency situations only. And you couldn't find the ammo anymore. It was that rare. All she needed was one shot. Her aim was the best in the Blitz. She could end all this.

It slipped from her hands. She couldn't do it. She couldn't fight him at all. Tears came flooding to her eyes. She couldn't stop them. Why? Why wouldn't they stop? But she needed to tell him. She decided she would. She stumbled back into the room, breathing uneven, as she had this whole time. Her time was draining quickly, if not already gone. He was back on the couch. He raised his eyebrows as if to say, "You're still alive, wench?"

"Can I confess something to you?" she asked. He looked her over, as if looking to see if she was concealing something from him.

"Whatever." It was emotionless and heartless.

"I know this may not change anything," she started, voice broken from crying. This was all I had left. "But..." She almost didn't want to tell him the truth. She was having a hard time believing it herself. She took a deep breath. Here goes. "I love you." He remained emotionless. "I have since the day I met you. You had me from...instead of hello...you had me from 'hn.'" I wanted to laugh at the joke, but the pain was too much. I could only smile. "I don't want to die, but if you feel that's what you have to do, then more power to you." She sunk to the ground, the already spilled blood mingling with the fibers of the carpet, staining it. She could no longer look at him.

"Good," he said in an evil voice, as though he didn't care. She looked up at him. "Because your minute's up." He prepared to strike, and she froze, knowing she could never fight back and win.

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Kohari: Could you call this a cliffy? Dunno, Don't care. Review for me! And this chapter's dedicated to...dramatic music, please, or a drumroll or something...--drumroll--...there we go...This chapter is dedicated to...Astarte Katz! --cheer-- Yeah, cuz she reviewed almost every chapter I've written for this. Thanks for the support! WOOHOO! Okay, review time! Remember, review every/most of the chapters, and you get one dedicated to you! Yays! Anywho, Byes!


	9. Chapter 9

To Break the Chain

Kohari: Hopefully the computer problems with uploading have...disappeared. This next chapter is in honor of...teachers. Yeah...teachers. Without teachers, who would teach the doctors what they need to know to help us? So...yeah. Enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 9

The blow never came. She opened one of eyes cautiously, both of which had been shut tightly in preparation for her end. Hiei lifted her chin towards him, forcing her to look him in the eyes, as though he were looking for something. In his eyes, Kohari saw not love, not friendship, but passion for destruction. She saw a dark past, of which she'd never know anything. She remained silent while all this occurred, not daring to take her eyes off his.

After a few moments, he thrust her away and stood up. She didn't move from that position. He called out, "Guards!" and a few soldiers answered the summons, getting to their destination as swiftly as humanly possible so as not to make their "master" impatient, which was not a pretty sight. When they arrived, they nodded their heads slightly to acknowledge the apparition's superiority.

"Take her away," Hiei commanded, referring to the broken Kohari, who was listening to the whole scene. They were going to torture Blitz information out of her before they did away with her, she knew (or so she thinks). "I think The Room should be appropriate," he continued, putting an emphasis on "the room."

'That must be what they call the torture chamber," Kohari thought. 'Wonder what they'll do to me...'

The guards opened their mouths, as if to object, but their employer (yeah, right, like he pays them) snapped at them before they had a chance to speak, "Is there a problem, gentlemen?" His voice was dangerously nice, striking fear into his minions. He answered, "That's what I thought," in his usual evil voice as they stammered "no" and shook their heads. Then, before they could cause further anger, they secured her.

'Well, it's over,' Kohari thought sadly, terrified of what they planned to do with her. 'It seems we reunite sooner than expected, huh, Dmitri?'

It is virtually impossible to describe her surprise when she was dragged into not a room with countless torture devices, not a prison cell, but a bedroom fit for a princess. The ruffians that had been ordered to deposit her there tossed her in, shutting the door immediately afterwards and promptly locked it. She knelt on the ground in slight confusion when she noticed a sheet of paper on the bureau (dresser).

It read: "This is where you shall henceforth spend your evenings. You will be escorted to and from all destinations. Otherwise you shall remain in the room appointed to you, which you shall be shown to in the morning. Pleasant nightmares."

So he had foreseen this. And she had been drawn into his trap as a feline to catnip. She remembered what the eccentric elder lady from the village had told her prior to her journey. It was right after Kohari had completed her apprenticeship under her that she had decided to leave the village. Her last words rang in her ears:

"Thine heart is pure, but thine head is hard, young grasshopper. Thy ignorance shalt forever amuse thineself and others."

Oh, yeah. She was an idiot. And she was sure more than one person laughing at her. She wondered where the old lady was now...

Yusuke gasped for oxygen as he dug himself from under what was left of the control room. Kuwabara and Kurama followed suit. Todd and Mal were nowhere to be found.

"Oh, man. Shorty's gotten a heckuva lot stronger," Kuwabara complained, rubbing a sore spot on the back of his head.

"I agree. He wasn't like this until-"Kurama started, but Yusuke cut him off.

"The forest!"

"I remember something about trees, too!" Kuwabara cried out, stupidly.

"Shall we investigate?" Kurama suggested. The other two nodded.

Note: Remember, this is an alternate universe kind of thing. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama's memories were changed, but not erased. Now, their memories have returned up until the forest, which was, in this time, a month ago. Understand? No? Oh, well.

Malhavoc, also free of the rocks' prison, knew what had truly happened to the "wench behind the Blitz." He couldn't stop the ambush on Todd, but he was fully aware that Kohari wouldn't take the death of her friend sitting down. She would want revenge. Well, he couldn't prevent her from challenging the apparition, but he sensed that she wouldn't use her full potential. And that would be her downfall.

Even if she herself didn't realize that she was in love with Hiei, he could tell that this was the truth. It would keep her from dealing him what she deemed his appropriate punishment. She would have trouble even hitting him, he hypothesized.

All this he thought as he made his way to the mansion. He wouldn't kill Kohari, of that he was certain. She was too valuable as the second-in-command of the Blitz; the potential leader. The problem wasn't in finding her, but in infiltrating Hiei's stronghold so that he **could** find her.

The doors were heavily guarded, and he could see no easy entrance. This was a situation where his appearance would come in very handy. He retreated temporarily back to the city to find a perfect disguise.

The guards were astounded to see a child, baseball cap, jeans, baseball t-shirt, and all, wander to their location.

"Hey. Beat it, kid," an officer barked. The youngster licked a lemon-flavored (NO DIRTY THOUGHTS!) lollipop, hardly phased by this rude remark.

"I have to go to the bathroom." This "child" of which is spoken is none other than Mal. His voice was a higher pitch, perfected so that it made him seem at least half of his age, if not a third. It easily fooled the buffoons.

"Go in some bushes or something," the same guard replied gruffly.

"Okay." Mal lightly stepped to some shrubs a few feet away, acting as though he was about to carry out this suggestion.

"Not there!" he (the soldier) blurted out, dropping his tough-guy, bad-ass attitude. He smacked himself on the forehead. "Fine. I'll take you inside. Hey, boys, keep watch for me, wouldja?" The others nodded. "Come on, kid."

"Okay." The guard led him through the doors and down a few hallways. At least he had gotten in. Now, how to find Kohari...He'd have to ditch this goon, first, before he could do any serious searching.

Time to turn up the innocence a bit. "Hey, how old are you? I'm seven. Do you have any kids? Do you like ketchup? I like ketchup. Ketchup is good for you. That's what Mommy said before Hiei's men took her away. Yep, that's what she said. Ketchup is good for you. Mustard's good for you, too. Do you like mustard? I like mustard..." and went on and on, not pausing in between questions, which were very close. Almost like they were one word. This ticked the soldier off.

"Would you shut up?!" he thundered. The "kid" was silent for a moment, pretending to be horribly frightened. After a few moments, Mal spoke again, in as meek a voice as possible.

"Where's the bathroom?" The officer sighed in exasperation. He was probably going to get a huge demotion for this. But it's better than letting the kid pee on the bushes and ruin Hiei's garden.

The soldier led him to some restrooms. He turned his back politely as Mal unzipped his trousers and did his business. If he hadn't, he probably would've found out quickly that this was no child. Singing could be heard, intensifying his headache. What kind of stupid kid sings "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" while pissing?

Before he could ponder this further, he received a knock on the head, passing into unconsciousness. "Pathetic." His pants were obviously back on.

Mal wandered out of the bathrooms a few moments later, darning the uniform of the officer now dreaming peacefully on the tiled floor, drooling all over it. "Now to find Kohari."

Kohari: That's all I'm gonna do for now. I was gonna write a lot more, but I know you were anxious for an update. Never have I received so many reviews for one chapter. I feel so loved. I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this. Please review again for me! Thankies! Byes! (Yippers! Sweet snow!)


	10. Chapter 10

To Break the Chain

Kohari: Yippers! New chappie! YAYYAYYAYYAYYAY!

Kaimonetstaska: I knew I shouldn't've let her near the ice cream machine.

Kohari: WEEEEEEEEEEE! –bouncing off walls-

Kaimonetstaska: Please pause for a moment to inspect this commercial.

Kohari: YIPPEES!

Advertisement: "Twist of Fate" is a Beyblade story with a love triangle. Topaz discovers Max cheating on her, and finds herself falling for...Kai? That's right, the team captain. Max is furious. And what happened to Topanga? Read and find out what happens when Max responds to her summonings to an old abandoned warehouse.

Kaimonetstaska: Okies. Now on with this fic.

Kohari: You didn't do my disclaimer.

Kaimonetstaska: Do we need to?Kohari: I don't think so. They already know. I think.

Kaimonetstaska: Don't. You'll strain your brain. –receives glare- What happened to your sugar high?

Kohari: It go bye-bye.

Kaimonetstaska: Thank God.

Kohari: Oh, shut it. –gobbles up bag of sugar-

Kaimonetsta: Lord save us.

Chapter 10

She had been escorted to her "dayroom," as the guards referred to it. It was so boring. It was more a storeroom than anything else. Dusty crates were lined along the walls in uneven stacks. At least the window had a view.

Kohari sighed. This sucked. The window was reinforced so that she couldn't escape. And she wasn't going to easily adjust to being watched every second of the day. They had left her alone now. She was halfway glad. She enjoyed the loneliness if it meant that THEY would be gone.

The door creaked open slowly. She turned quickly, frightened of who it might be. The pace of her breathing altered in panic. She let out a sigh of relief as the visitor revealed themselves to be just the captain of the team guarding her door.

"How are you, Princess?" he asked, sweetly, obviously trying to put on some charm. What kind of trick was he trying to pull?

"I'm no princess. Now go away." She kept her voice harsh. She hoped she sounded intimidating. But with Hiei controlling the rules, she didn't know what limits they could go to.

The guard had come in on his own, leaving his partners out in the hall to keep out intruders. It was just him and her. Not a scenario she particularly liked. "Now, why would I do that and leave such a fragile, young girl in a big, scary room all by herself? What kind of gentleman would I be?"

"A good one."

He laughed a little. She hadn't been joking, but apparently that's how he took it. He came closer, but she kept him at arms length, warningly. He chuckled at this, too. He was determined to get what he wanted, but what was it that he was after?

He proved too forceful for her. She was pushed behind a stack of crates in a far corner. The villain sneered the whole time as he sexually harassed her, his hands wandering in places they didn't belong. She could tell he desired a lot more than he was getting. Kohari swore to herself that he wouldn't get it.

Finally he had gotten somewhat of his fill. He left, the torture over. She stayed where she was, concealed by a huge pile of wooden boxes. She never wanted to see him again. Amazingly, she had retained her virginity, but how long could she keep it?

When she had regained herself, breaking free of her broken emotional prison she had pulled herself into, she went back to the window, leaning on the sill. She watched the birds flee in fright from a few practicing warriors, new to the army. She gazed at them longingly, desperately wishing that she, too, could fly away from this Hell on Earth.

The door once again opened a while later. She was more calm this time, but she was a little furious when Hiei walked in, flanked on both sides by one of her escorts, one of which had been in her room earlier, and whose encounter was previously described.

Hiei was speaking to her, but she couldn't take her eyes off of...she didn't even want to think up a name in relation to him. He'd make any word in the dictionary seem like something evil. Her eyes were slightly dilated in fear. Yes, she feared not him, but what she felt he could do to her. The thought terrified her worse than anything Hiei could do. The other escort had left to rejoin his partners, though HE had remained.

"Something seems to be bothering you," the apparition observed, circling her. This didn't bother her nearly as much as the guard's presence in her room. "I take it you don't enjoy this man's company." He was referring to the guard, who was smiling with that evil glint in his eye, and desire etched all over his face. "Are you afraid of him?" Sly devil, that Hiei, though he knew not why she hated his lackey.

"Terrified," she admitted.

"Why?" He kept his voice at a monotone.

"I don't want to say." All the time this short conversation took place, she glared at the man who had done worse than a certain flames-master could ever do, or at least, had threatened to do, since she still had her purity.

"Tell me." His voice was ominous now. She wouldn't escape this alive if she didn't confess what she had had to put up with. It was childish, she knew, but he had forced himself into places even Dmitri had never...traveled.

"I..." she started, but she didn't feel she could finish it. The soldier was looking a little scared himself. He was busted if she talked. "He...uh...well..."

"I can take a wild guess from there," Hiei interrupted. Before her eyes, the guard ceased to exist. It had happened so quickly, she barely noticed it. It had been so swift, and had only taken one cut. One thorough and accurate slice through the man's flesh, and his life was gone. Blood coated the floor in no time, and Kohari was left, gaping at what had occurred. "You have nothing to fear of him any longer," the former member of Team Urameshi told her, sheathing his sword gracefully.

"How could you...why?" she stammered. Sure, he had been a mental and psychological harassment, but did he deserve to die for it?

"How else?" A smirk crossed his face. He summoned a few of the warriors outside the door, and they cleared away the corpse and that which had spilled. "You're rid of him. You should be happy." They left, leaving only the apparition and Kohari.

"Well, I'm not."

"Then that's your problem." She found herself backed up against the wall, the lower half of his arm horizontal against her chest, blocking her from anything she might try. He again had her wrists pinned together in one hand. His face was inches from hers. She was helpless now.

"You know it's pointless to resist anything my underlings here try, so why fight back so hard? You played yourself."

"My heart belongs only to Dmitri." She stood her ground, firm. He smiled as though he had caught her in a trap. In fact, he had caught her in somewhat of a lie.

"So that little dramatic speech was just a way of getting out of your execution?" he sneered. "You lied to save your life?"

"No."

"Then explain yourself." He knew she had put herself in a difficult position. He already knew the truth, he just wanted it to come straight from her mouth. Why? Who knows how the minds of these world domination obsessed people work? It was amusing to him to see her struggling internally with something harder to beat than him: herself.

"I didn't lie. I spoke true. I do love you." Those last words were the hardest to admit. She didn't want it to be like this. "I should hate you for all you did to me." She was going to let it all out. Free her soul by releasing all that was on her mind. "I can't. I hate what you did, but not you. Why, Hiei? Why can't I hate you? I know why. And I hate that, too. I love you. And that's what tears me apart."

Tears welled up in her eyes. This was...she had lost count of how many times this weakness had occurred to her. She had never been able to cry before Dmitri's death. Tears of sadness, despair, anger...all gathered into her eyes at this moment. Eyes cannot hide true emotions. And right now, anyone could read them like a book if they only glanced.

Hiei was enjoying this. She collapsed to the floor, unable to retain the strength to hold herself up. Her knees locked together. "I did lie. You stole what was rightfully Dmitri's."

He still had an evil smile on his lips. He lowered himself to her level and forced her to look at him. She didn't resist. She hadn't the strength. He pulled her lips closer to his, and they met. What was she doing? She shouldn't be liking any of this. But all that he had done to her erased itself temporarily as she was dragged into ecstasy. She would regret this later, but she relished every second of it now.

It was a few minutes past the previous scene (Kohari) and he had searched the hall. Nothing. He could sense the apparition, barely. People like Hiei mask their aura, making them hard to spot. But Mal had been trained for situations like this. He toyed with the weapons on his "utility belt" as Kohari called it. She had been the first real friend he had had. She appreciated his company, not just his skills as all the others had. He was just a tool to them. To Kohari, he was a buddy. Someone she could rely on. Normally, he wouldn't bother much to rescue another, but he figured he owed her this much at least.

He tried to keep the oversized boots' noise to a low level, but his footsteps echoed throughout the manse it seemed, despite his talented efforts to silence it. He couldn't remember much about anything before she had shown up in his town. It had been annoying, once she had seen him kick some bad-guy butt, that she had followed him around, trying to convince him to join their cause. It had taken seeing firsthand her battle experience to persuade him that maybe it would be worthwhile to see what these friends of hers could do. If they could stop Hiei, as they dreamed they could, the world would be better, even for him. He had taken the risk.

Kohari was skilled, there was no denying that. She could protect herself, no problem. She was always being underestimated, even by herself, and that low-self esteem, though it didn't affect her victory in fights, seemed to hold her back.

What if Hiei hadn't shown up? What if she could still live in the village with Dmitri, Todd, and all the others? What if they had never met? Would he still have found himself trusting people more? Would she smile even brighter than she did now? She made everything seem like a game. Like life, though it looked bad, was perfect. How she did it, he'd never know, but he wished he could be like that. To be happy even when things looked dark. To be completely oblivious to the danger lurking on the horizon. He knew she did it to keep everyone in bright spirits, but did anyone know what she truly felt? Even he, who knew most everything there was to know going on, could hardly ever see past her naïve nature. She was a lot like Botan, but more...he hated to say words like this, but...attractive. She made a chain reaction so that everyone, upon seeing her smile, had to grin, too. With Botan, it was just plain annoying.

He left his thoughts there, focusing on the task at hand. More than likely, the storeroom Hiei had just left held Kohari. He waited patiently for him to be a good distance away, and then stole toward the room. "Typical," he muttered, noticing that her "room" was heavily guarded. "Oh, well. I need the practice anyway." The sun shining through a window nearby shone on his blade, making it shimmer for a split second. He poised it, then went in for the kill. He knew he was going to get a talking to about taking lives by Kohari later, but right now, it was a matter of whatever floats his boat.

Kohari was again leaning against the window ledge, furious at herself for allowing the kiss to happen. She was no man's possession, no one's doll. Yet he had strings snaked all over her body (speaking in metaphor). She controlled nothing.

The sound of a battle reached her delicate ears. Outside, in the hallway. She heard the grunts of the guards, thudding against the walls. What was going on? She didn't have to wait long for an answer. The door swung open quickly to reveal Mal, poking his head in the door. The first and only words out of his mouth: "Let's go." She wasted no time. There was no way she was staying here. She couldn't afford another moment of impaired judgment like she had when...she didn't want to think about it. (She had to step over the guards, but she ignored it.)

She followed Mal down the labyrinth of the castle. He obviously knew where he was going, and as they ran, she was only a few steps behind. They didn't stop once outside the forbidding walls. They kept running, heading where Mal suspected Team Urameshi would be. The forest. He had a hunch how all this was going on, and he thought Kohari may want to be present when the true cause of all this revealed how to reverse it.

"Frickin' trees. Frickin' branches," Yusuke cursed (I guess) as he kept pushing aside the limbs that clawed at his face. They were even worse, smacking him in the face, without the leaves to cushion it. "What're we lookin' for, anyway?"

"Anything that would give us a hint as to how Hiei acquired his current 'social' standing," Kurama answered, also a little annoyed at the forest's wrath, even on one who was so close to the natural world and earth's potential.

"I could answer that," a misty voice came from the shadows. There was no tone whatsoever.

"Show yourself, coward!" Kuwabara called out. He was a little freaked out. In response to his demand, the woman from Hiei's forest encounter stepped from her concealment of shrubs and trees.

"It's just an old lady. Let's go," Yusuke shrugged off disrespectfully. He was turning to go on his merry way when Kurama stopped him.

"Wait, Yusuke. Maybe we should listen to what she has to say. It could be beneficial to our quest."

It was at this time that Kohari and Mal entered the clearing as well. ":gasp: Elder May!" Kohari cried out excitedly and hurried over to hug the old hag, who was smiling as well. Kohari withdrew and stood in somewhat of a line with the others.

"You know this old bat?" Yusuke asked, surprised.

"Of course! I was her apprentice!"

"I hope you have advanced much further in your studies," 'Elder May' put in. When Kohari blushed and hung her head, she added, "Thine heart is pure, but thine head is hard, young grasshopper. Thy ignorance shalt forever amuse thineself and others." Kohari had joined in the last sentence, but replaced "thy" and "thineself" with "my" and "myself."

"So, you were saying you know how Hiei got this power," Yusuke cut in, eager to get this show on the road. Kohari again gasped and looked at the elderly maiden.

"Of course. I gave it to him." This statement received many gasps and surprised stares. Kohari was crushed. Her role model from the village had, as she saw it, betrayed her. Her eyes portrayed this.

"Why, Honorable Elder? Why would you do this?" Kohari felt hurt, and her voice showed it.

"Now, now, child. Don't fret. I can help you reverse this whole misunderstanding (yeah, right, misunderstanding)."

"Really?!" (Kohari)

"Then start talking, hag," Yusuke commanded threateningly.

"No need to get violent," she responded. "There are eight orbs that can grant any wish, but only once of the same desire."

"And how do we find them?"

"You look, genius," Elder May snapped. She reminded Yusuke a lot of Genkai, who had died when Hiei had taken over. "You're in luck. They are in this area. Happy hunting." And with that, she got ready to leave.

"How-?"

"Use your aura." She was gone.

The Reikai Tentai and the Blitz glanced at one another. This was going to be a long day.

Kohari: Yays. Another chapter over!

Kaimonetstaska: She got over her sugar high.

Kohari: Very sad.

Kaimonetstaska: No, what's sad is you1

Kohari: That hurts. Anyways, I hope these last two chapters weren't too long. And I hope you enjoyed them. I also hope you review.

Kaimonetstaska: AHEM!

Kohari: Oh, and that "thine pure heart, thine hard head" stuff? I stole it from Kaimonetstaska.

Kaimonetstaska: I still have to pummel you for that.

Kohari: -nervous laughter- Oh, yeah. I had forgotten...well, please review, nice readers, while I run from the child spawned from Satan himself.

Kaimonetstaska: THAT'S IT!

Kohari: Yipe. –runs-


	11. Chapter 11

To Break the Chain

Kohari: -muffled screams (locked in closet)-

Kaimonetstaska: Hey, everyone. I'm doing the intro for this chapter. Kohari? She's mad because the machine ran out of ice cream. And they filled it up FOUR TIMES!

Kohari: -banging on door- You b-tch! Let me out! I didn't do anything!

Kaimonetstaska: That's not what Hiei said about last night.

Hiei: Excuse me?

Kaimonetstaska: Eep! –nervous voice- Can't you take a joke man?

Hiei: Baka onna. –starts to attack Kaimonetstaska; accidentally chops door open-

Kohari: -watches Hiei torture Kaimonetstaska- Told her to let me out the closet. –to readers- Oh. Hey! Well, this is chapter 11. Yippers! Anywho, we all know the disclaimer, and...on with the fic!

Chapter 11 

Kohari was perched in a tree, scanning the horizon for any sign of an aura. Mal was just below her, ready to catch her if she happened to fall. They had split into two groups to better find the orbs of which the elder had spoken. How could eight spheres be so hard to find? Especially if they had an aura.

"Hey, I found one!" she heard Kuwabara announce from their searching grounds not too far away. They had agreed to remain close together in case of an ambush. The way Yusuke and Kuwabara were carrying on, being discovered was practically a guarantee.

"That's a rock, you dipshit!" Yusuke hollered. Kohari shook her head. Their arguments were more fun to listen to than hers and Todd's.

Later----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay, so we're all done," Yusuke announced, brushing his hands together to accentuate a job well done. An array of orbs was at their feet as they stood in a circle around their findings.

"So how do these things work?" Kuwabara asked in his usual idiotic manner.

"Finally, Elder May, things will be back to normal," Kohari addressed her mentor as she (May) stepped forward to examine the results of their hard work. Kohari was anxious for things to be like old times.

"Yes, and the world will be at somewhat of a peace again," Kurama agreed calmly, the forest back to its original splendor because of his restoration potions and a little help from his aura. He looked so glorious leaning against a tall, grand oak tree at the edge of the small clearing.

"Not quite, child," the old lady contradicted, extracting gasps from the entire group.

"What'dya mean, ya hag?!" Yusuke practically shouted. The woman cleaned out her ears with her pinky (like people do when they hear a deafening sound).

"I mean, pupil of Genkai, that there are only seven of the spheres present." The news was shocking. They had collected all that they had been able to sense, and had even done several "final sweeps" before they deemed their task complete.

"What're you saying?!" Yusuke demanded at the top of his lungs, scaring into flight a few nearby birds resting in Kurama's tree. The crimson-locked spirit detective watched wonderingly for a moment, and then turned his eyes back to his teammate and the old lady. "All this was for nothing?!"

"What're you yelling at her for?" Kohari retorted, defending her teacher. "You're the one that didn't count to make sure there were eight!"

"Well, I didn't see you adding up the numbers, either!" The argument would've gone back and forth for eternity had Mal not broken in and silenced the two.

"Pointing fingers at each other is not helping the situation!" The naïve team leaders quit fighting. "You are both acting like children!" Mal went on, and the addressed hung their heads at his speech, ashamed. The speaker turned toward the village elder. "Do you know where the final orb is?"

"Yes." This simple word got Yusuke once again into a bad temper.

"And you didn't tell us?!" Elder May ignored his brash rudeness and anger. Before Urameshi could further embarrass his friends, Mal cut in once more.

"Where is it?" He had no harshness in his tone. Urgency, yes, but he was being polite about it.

"Where do you suspect it is?" the old lady responded.

"Come on, Grandma!" Yusuke blurted out with impatience.

"Don't tell me it's with Shorty?!" Kuwabara guessed. The wrinkled, aged woman smiled knowingly, hinting that he was right.

"Shit!" Yusuke slammed his fist into a tree, a few more birds desperately escaping toward the stratosphere, everyone's heads turned toward the winged creatures for a second. "Now how are we supposed to get it?"

"From the inside," Kurama answered quietly, barely audible to the others. "I'm sorry, Kohari." All of them turned their attention to her. She sighed sadly and closed her eyes. Freedom had been so close, and just like sand, it had slipped from her fingers. She slung her pack over her shoulder and left without a word, concerned looks following her every step of the way.

Hiei's Mansion---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Hiei twirled the orb around on his index finger (like basketball players do with the ball), smirking triumphantly. He had thought ahead. Even if his old "friends" did figure out how he had managed to come into power so quickly, they could do nothing about it. He then snapped his hand around the ball and got up from his seat. Kohari had only been missing for two hours, but her sudden disappearance had the guards in a frenzy. They were afraid of Hiei's anger when he found out that his captive was no longer trapped, unaware that he was a step ahead of them. It was amusing seeing them scramble around the castle, frantically, searching for the prisoner.

A soldier entered the domain, the same one who had let the "secret" slip twenty minutes into the search, though Hiei had already known what had happened. The warrior reported the search.

"Sir, we have yet to find her." He flinched, ready for an attack. "We looked everywhere. Every nook and cranny. Nothing." He whimpered as he braced himself for a brutal punishment.

"You've scanned the entire grounds?" Hiei sneered, frightening the poor man further. "The area in front of the gates? The gardens? Well?"

"N-no, sir," he stammered.

"Then get moving," the apparition commanded, and the guard, nearly tripping on his way out, left immediately to relay the message to his comrades.

"There she is!"

The shout awoke the poor girl laying on the bench in the rose beds. She sat up slowly, blinking and rubbing her eyes, sleepily.

"Get up, you!" an officer barked. "The master wants to see you." He dragged her to her feet, and, without releasing her arm, led her to her captor's (Hiei's) location.

When they had reached the chamber, the guard let go of her, and, on Hiei's command, left the kidnapper and the kidnapped alone.

"Where were you?" Hiei asked ominously with a superior tone, circling a scowling Kohari in an intimidating manner. "And don't give me any bull about sleeping in the gardens. I want the truth. Where, exactly, have you been?" He stopped behind her for a second; Kohari stared straight ahead, not trusting herself to look at him.

"Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies," she replied seriously. He began to pace around her once again, taking a step with each word he spoke.

"Reasonable. Irrefutable. But not good enough." This time, he halted in front of her. "I could force it out of you. You know I could. And I wouldn't hesitate."

"And how would you do that?" she challenged. He slowly forced her to retreat until she was cornered against the wall. An uncomfortable predicament for her.

"Burned children fear the flame," he answered, his lips millimeters from hers. She knew what he could do. He was right. He wouldn't hesitate to take from her the only thing she had left that was precious to her.

"Dead men never bite," she retaliated, a dagger now in her hand, ready to strike. He grabbed her wrist, and she dropped the weapon, unable to fight back.

"You're building castles in the air if you think you can take me on," he whispered. There was no need for regular volume at such a close distance. For some reason, a tingle ran down her spine.

"Take it from me now, and you'll have no leverage for when you really need it," she pointed out, trying her hardest to scorn and anger him. He withdrew.

"True enough. I needn't really know at this time, do I?" She glared at him skeptically. "Besides, the game isn't worth the candle." He took his exit, and she was on her own now. He was toying with her to see what she'd do, and they both knew it.

Kohari sighed. She was going to have to tread carefully if she was going to get what she came for. It wasn't going to be easy to find and steal to begin with. After a shake of the head at her own pathetic self, she went on her way to her room, unknowing that Hiei was watching from the ceiling supports.

'The writing's on the wall before you even arrive, girl. Your love will be your downfall.'

End of Chapter 11 

Kohari: Okay, there it is. Um, where's Hiei?

Kaimonetstaska: I don't know! I was too busy –

Kohari: Who cares?! Anyways, I hope you liked the little Battle of the Proverbs/Sayings. I figured, hey, answer a metaphor with a metaphor or something like that.

Kaimonetstaska: Don't you have some Biology to do? Quit annoying people, ya dumb cracker!

Kohari: Actually, I left it in my locker. I got it done, just need to rewrite it. But no one needs to know about my clumsiness in my homework habits.

Kaimonetstaska: Must you use such big words?

Kohari: Yes, I must.

Toilet: -flushes-

Hiei: -comes out of door- What're you staring at?

Kohari and Kaimonetstaska: Nothing!

Kaimonetstaska: I suppose even anime characters must go to the restroom at some point.

Kohari and Kaimonetstaska: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star! –laughing-

Kohari: Review, please! Byes!


	12. Chapter 12

To Break the Chain 

Kohari: Well. Here we are. Another chapter. I hope you readers enjoy it. I truly did not think I'd make it this far.

Kaimonetstaska: Then why'd you start writing it?

Kohari: You see, it was a dream I had, as we all know, so it was in my imagination. I really liked it, and I wanted others to "see" it, too. So...I write it.

Kaimonetstaska: The problem is that you know how to end it but not how to get there, huh?

Kohari: Yeah, that, too.

Kaimonetstaska: Girl...

Kohari: Can you believe someone actually thought this was completely and totally stupid?

Hiei: -sarcastically- No. Really?

Kohari: -glare at him- And I know he's not the only who thinks that. Oh, readers, don't bother looking in the reviews. He told me in person, so you can't blackmail him. But what's really bothering me is that this is my favorite of all the fanfictions I've written.

Hiei: -sarcastically (again)- Oh. Poor baby. Cry me a river and drown yourself in it.

Kaimonetstaska: She probably would.

Hiei: Can we just start this? It's tormenting to listen to you two jabber on about your problems. The sooner we get the story ended, the sooner I can kill you both.

Kaimonetstaska and Kohari: Eep!

Hiei: I could do it now. –unsheathes sword-

K and K: That's okay!

-Chapter 12- 

Kohari paced around "her" room, trying to decide what to do about this whole situation. They had decided to place her in the "princess" room 24/7, partially to prevent any further escapes, even though the switch of rooms really had nothing to do with it.

She plopped down on her bed, frustrated. This was just a game to him. She knew it. He was constantly, it seemed, three steps ahead of her, able to plot her every move before she even made it. In fact, he probably already knew what she was after, even if she didn't know how she was going to get it.

She sighed. The "he" of which is spoken is none other than Hiei. She didn't dare to so much as think his name. She didn't trust herself to. If she did, she may find herself unable to carry out her mission.

How was she going to do that, anyway? An aura scan of the whole premises from her location right now would take a lot of energy. And if she so much as stepped one foot out of her room, he would be right on top of her in an instant to apprehend her, asking questions to get her to incriminate herself. Get the confession straight from her mouth. More than likely, he'd probably succeed in making her spill, anyway.

She leaned back against the headboard. This was definitely going to take some thought, outwitting the mastermind without her affection getting in the way. Her eyes cast a glance to the windowsill, catching a glimpse of some circular object. What was it? She wandered over to it, picking it up and turning it over, inspecting it.

It was sky-blue. A stone, set in pure silver, clinging to a chain like a necklace. A concentration gem? But how did it get there, and why? This stone had the power to give her the advantage. To decide the fate of the world, in the right hands. Hiei wasn't stupid enough to just give it to her. Just like that. So who had put it there?

Her mind flashed to one of the guards. When she was going to her room after the meeting with Hiei, a few guards decided to "help" her to her room. This time she had put up a struggle. She had seen a young, blond-haired boy, estimating him at a little older than herself, who had refused to take part in it. As she had been shoved into her room, the last thing she saw before they slammed the door in her face had been him giving her a look of pure pity, as though he wished he could take her place so she wouldn't have to undergo this torture. One that gave you the impression that you could rely on him to do what he could to help you out, no matter what. He was the only one in the force who didn't hate her. It had to have been him.

But how could even he get a hold of something like this? Concentration gems were rare, and not the easiest to find or to come by. She could feel the aura power of the stone pulsing in her hand as she grasped it tightly. Well, she would use it. She just prayed that a certain apparition wouldn't sense what she was doing.

(Scene switch to Yusuke's group)

They knew this street well. More than they would like to think. A glowing snowflake engraved in the pavement signified the special meaning of this place. Just the sight of the unharmed road brought tears to their eyes, though pride prevented them from falling, and Botan tried desperately to hold hers back, allowing the few that escaped to drop where they may.

Yusuke sat on a fire hydrant, displaying his perfected balance as he leaned back and forth, serious for once. Kurama leaned against a nearby building, eyes closed, also feeling the pain of the loss. Koenma was absent, tending to his duties. Botan just floated on the oar (is it a broom or an oar?), sad as well. Kuwabara knelt beside the snowflake, crying his eyes out, a bouquet of flowers on the ground at his side. They all knew how much his heart ached for "his beloved Yukina." Knew how much it hurt that he may never see her again, but sacrificed all she had to save them.

(Enter Flashback)

"No! This can't be happening!" Kuwabara shouted above the sound of the explosions and against the wind that had been formed by it. A laugh could be heard, an evil laugh, coming from the throat of the fire apparition we all know so well.

"Kazuma, why would he do something like this?" Yukina asked, frightened, clinging to the red-haired punk's arm.

"I admit, this is a little unexpected," Kurama confessed, an arm instinctively shooting up to protect his eyes, hair flowing behind him, out of control.

"Unexpected?!" This was Yusuke. "Dude, I didn't think he had it in him to kill anymore! I thought he had changed!"

"We all did," Kurama responded as the speeding airs subsided. "But that doesn't change the fact that he is doing this. We must think of him as the enemy."

"You can't stop that! His power is off the charts!" Botan glided in on the conversation, watching the unwanted fireworks destroy the city.

"Well, what do you expect us to do? Just lie over and take it?" Yusuke demanded sarcastically. "I refuse!"

"No, but..."

The battle turned to them. Hiei appeared, a glint in his eye seen only a few times before. Bloodlust. He raised his hand, his palm aimed straight at them. Kuwabara stepped in front of Yukina to protect her, ready for the worst. They knew Hiei would never hurt Yukina, but they also thought they knew that he would never turn on them.

"No! Stop!" She ran from behind Kuwabara, and ignored the calls of her name and hands trying to hinder her from going any closer to her brother that she didn't know about. She stood in the middle of the street. "I won't let you hurt them!" Her arms began to rise, forming a cross with her body. She glowed, a wind they couldn't feel lifting her slightly.

A look of surprised crossed Hiei's face, abandoning his attack. Kuwabara screamed out her name, sensing danger and that she was about to do something that would seriously hurt her. Kurama let out a gasp, and Botan cried out, "Don't do it!" She knew what was about to ensue, even if the others were clueless. A light expelled from her body, blinding them all.

When they could see again, Yukina had disappeared, and Hiei was nowhere in sight. The symbol described before, her element, was all that was left on the street, besides the feeling of protection in the atmosphere and the untouched surroundings. They could still sense Hiei, but what had happened to Yukina?

Kuwabara again called out her name, his voice portraying pain and anguish. They all knew something bad had happened to her, but what?

"What did she just do, Botan?" Yusuke asked in the silence of the aftermath. "Is she...dead?" Kuwabara cried out at this question, afraid that he had lost her forever.

"No. Not quite," she responded, causing Kuwabara's face to light up hopefully. "What just occurred is much worse." His face fell again. Botan explained, "You see, she sort of gave up her soul to keep this place from harm."

"NO!" Kuwabara broke down, falling to his knees. Man though he was, he was about to do something that would be considered from the masculine point of view weak. Cry.

"Is that even possible?" Yusuke pondered aloud.

"Yes. It is," Kurama joined in. "Giving up her soul isn't exactly accurate, however. Her soul still exists, and it's still hers, but she is in a deep slumber, right below us."

"So we can bring her back?!" Kuwabara rose, once again joyful.

"Not really," Botan answered for him. "We could...possibly...but we don't know how."

"It's a sort of coma. She's trapped beneath the city, her spirit giving all it has to protect this street. She did it for us. I wonder if it was worth the sacrifice." This was Kurama. "She may never wake up...she knew that..."

"Yukina! You did care!" Kuwabara blurted out. "You didn't have to do this!"

The other three shook their heads. What were they going to do? They had just lost one of the most valuable members of their team, and Hiei was on a rampage to conquer the universe. This did not look good.

(End Flashback)

Eventually, they all left to get some rest. What they didn't realize was that, deep beneath the city, the sphere of energy containing Yukina lost a little of its brilliant luster, and that the concentration gem that Kohari had found and the final orb, wherever it was, all glowed in unison with more power than ever.

((End Chapter))

Kohari: Chapter over!

Hiei: Good.

Kohari: But there will be another soon! I hope.

Hiei: Not if I can help it. –about to unleash full fury of Dragon of the Darkness Flame-

Kaimonetstaska: -glomps him on the head from behind, knocking him out-

Yukina: -covers her mouth, gasps, and runs over to inspect his wounds-

Kohari: -shaking head- This is just sad.

Kaimonetstaska: I know. Isn't the power of sibling love wonderful?

Kohari: I was talking about the fact that she actually cares for a jerk like that. (Not that I have room to talk, huh?)

Hiei: -eyes pop open suddenly and scarily-

Kaimonetstaska and Kohari: -scream and run away from Hiei-

Footnote: Review, y'all. Please and thank-you. Byes!


	13. Chapter 13

To Break the Chain 

Kohari: Man, school sucks. I'm writing on Sept. 6 by the way to avoid any confusion in the future, last week being the one with four, yes, four, bomb threats on WCHS, my school. But right now that doesn't matter. I read some of the reviews (they're the highlight of my week!), but I already had some chapters written, so your suggestions were too late. I value your opinion, though, honest. See, I don't have Internet. Have to borrow. But that's unimportant. Oh, and always, Always, ALWAYS check my bio. There may be important info I forget to put in my fics. Well, I'll shut up now. You don't read to listen to me ramble on and on about crap you don't care about.

-Chapter 13- 

Kohari closed her eyes in intense concentration. The concentration gem in her hand glowed brightly, responding to her telepathic command. Images of every room in the mansion flashed through her mind, revealing anything with any type of aura in such a manner that it was impossible to miss it.

"Gotcha!" she whispered ecstatically, her target found. The final orb, the thing that could make everything alright again. It was...in...his room. She should've known. No. He had three rooms. This one was what the servants called his treasure room. She had overheard them talking of the glorious items within that chamber countless times. If she hadn't been such a ditz, maybe she could've figured out that, duh, it was there.

Quickly, she planned her path to his treasure vault. But there was a slight flaw. Where was Hiei? She scanned again. She couldn't find him anywhere within the castle walls. Or on the premises. Oh well. One less obstacle to worry about.

She slipped the necklace on and hid it discreetly in a certain article of clothing that is now commonly known as a bra. No one would even know it was there.

She cracked open the door a tad, listening in on the guards' conversation. They were totally absorbed into it. Grasping the pendant tightly for good luck, she ambushed them, making quick work of Hiei's subordinates.

Leaving them sprawled out on the hall floor, she stealthily ran down the corridors, having memorized the place, and knowing just where she was going. It didn't take long to reach her destination. But there was one thing she hadn't counted on. Human security.

For someone who was against humans, why would he use one of their security systems? This puzzled Kohari to no end. But she shrugged it off. Oh, well. Made her job easier. She typed in his name as a password. The usual "Access Denied."

Predictable. What was the point in security if everyone could get past it? She saw the reasoning behind the security now. A guard could be defeated swiftly, giving her easy access to the sphere. And there was no way to read the mind of circuits. Without her technology that she once had at her disposal, this was going to be difficult.

She sighed in frustration, determined for this setback not to...well, set her back. Nothing would hinder her from her mission. She tried again. "Access Denied." She tried all the obvious passwords (actual passwords, not numbers). Nothing. Only "Access Denied."

Finally, she started to think outside the box. She typed in tactical terms and operation names. "Access Denied." Numbers. "Access Denied." Everything else she could think of. "Access Denied."

With each attempt, she grew angrier. Taking a break, she leaned against the door frame. Time was running out, and she didn't even know how much she had. She did a quick scan of the area. No one. That was lucky, she supposed. Still no sign of Hiei.

That in itself was strange. She had spent at least three-quarters of an hour with this little whacked up piece of machinery, if not more. And there were still soldiers crawling all over the place. Normally, Hiei would take at least one group of officers with him. As far as she could tell, they were all present and accounted for. And Hiei would never be gone this long. Would he?

Was it possible that he had...gone after the Reikai Tentai (Isn't that what Team Urameshi's called? Forgive and correct me if I'm wrong, and I'll rewrite it.)? Had he decided that they were becoming too much of a nuisance and to nip them in the bud before they tried to attack again? Another blitz?

Speaking of which, what had become of her former gang? Were they...? No. She shook the thought out of her head, determining it as silly. Of course they were okay, she tried to convince herself. But her persuasive skills were never up to where she could win a debate hands down.

She turned back to the 'treasure room.' It was for their sake that she had to turn this whole thing around. And she was going to do it no matter what. Maybe her persuasive skills sucked, but when her friends were on the line, she could sure as heck boost her own moral in a heartbeat.

A thought occurred to her. Hiei had been at least two steps ahead of her their entire acquaintance. He knew what she was going to think long before she had time to think it. She needed to start thinking like he did. What password would be the hardest for her to figure out? What password, in a million years, would she never consider?

It occurred to her. She inhaled deeply, and her fingers deftly struck the keys that would enter the password that she was now convinced would allow her to enter the treasure room, and end the torment of the voice that had repeated "Access Denied" a thousandfold. She whispered as she typed it in. K-O-H-A-R-I.

Kohari.

She smiled as the voice decided to change to a new phrase. "Access Approved." The grin spread wider as the gleaming steel doors that sealed the treasure room slowly, sluggishly, opened.

It disappeared altogether when she saw just what barred her entrance. The one thing she had taken every precaution to avoid, and the one thing she least wanted to see.

"Well, well," Hiei sneered, observing the look on her face, his words dripping with sarcasm. "I wonder what could be behind Door Number 1."

"Uh-oh." Kohari knew she was in trouble, and braced herself for an attack for her insolence. So this was what it all came down to. The hunt had ended.

Chapter End 

Kohari: Sorry that was so short. But I like suspense. What will Hiei do? Oh, no guest appearances today. Just a message saying, "Review or Hiei will kill me." He probably would. But anyways, just review, and I'll keep the chapters coming. Byes!


	14. Chapter 14

To Break the Chain 

Kohari: Again, no guest appearance. Oh, well. No disclaimer either. It hurts my self-esteem. Well, here goes. The final chapter.

-Chapter 14- 

Kohari breathed a sigh of relief as Hiei turned away, walking deeper into the treasure room. "'Welcome to my parlor,' said the spider to the fly," he quoted. He stopped, extending his hand in a manner that told her clearly that he was inviting her in.

She wasn't exactly in the mood to run, so she didn't refuse. Cautiously, she took a step forward. She jumped in momentary surprised as the door was slammed telepathically. After that, she didn't take her eyes off the apparition for a second.

He stooped down, picking up an object out of the pile of gold coins that was at the back of the room. He twirled it around rapidly on his index finger in the fashion of an expert, seemingly amused at her confusion. It was only when he snapped the ball to a stop that she realized that it was the final orb. A tiny gasp escaped her lips.

"Tell me, what are you willing to do to get this in your possession?" he asked her tauntingly, smirking, referring to the sphere that was now glowing slightly. He had turned away, chuckling lightly at her expression, but he now stared at her in an intimidating manner, demanding an honest answer.

"Almost anything," she told him truthfully after a thoughtful pause, her voice barely audible. He smiled. Was he planning something? Like bargaining for something precious from her in exchange for the orb? No, he wasn't like that...was he? You could never tell with...people like him. Who knew whether he had had some kicks at a whore house at some time or other? She shook it off. He probably wouldn't want that.

"Why, exactly, do you want it in the first place? What, precisely, are you trying to accomplish?" He was menacing when he spoke like that.

She was silent for a moment. What do you say in a moment like this? "To restore the world to the way it was."

"Why?" he pressed.

"I-. Well, it was better back then," she tried to explain. "It was more peaceful...and-and..." She didn't know what to tell him. She knew in her mind it was better, but she couldn't find a way to put it into words. How do you explicate ethics? She stopped right there.

He understood, and amazed her when he tossed her the orb, without a second thought. She caught it instantly, and stood there, baffled. What was he doing? What was going on? Surely he wasn't giving it to her just like that.

Upon seeing her questioning look, he strolled past her nonchalantly, at the same time giving his own reasoning. "It's not like I need it anymore. Do what you want." The doors opened, and he walked out, not glancing at her once. It appeared he was serious. Before he was out of hearing range, however, he told her in so low a voice that she hardly heard it, "The password is 'pyrostorm.'"

Kohari gazed at her prize, mystified. That was all it took? She, stunned, stayed where she was, reflecting, trying to grasp what had just occurred. Hiei had just handed her the tool to remove his power, saying only that he no longer needed it. Why?

Was this some kind of trick?

No. This was the genuine article. That much was certain. But it was still unclear...

Kohari recovered swiftly and carefully wandered into the corridor, ready to make a break for it should Hiei change his mind or tip off the guards. She couldn't rule out the possibility that he had set an obvious trap for her that was so in front of her face that she couldn't see it.

She shook her head. No. It was apparent that he was sincere in his actions. He wasn't going to cause her any trouble any longer. He was done with his little game and ready to take the consequences for it. That was the impression he had made, and she was confident that she was right about it. And what did he mean by "the password is 'pyrostorm?' What password?

It didn't take her long to figure out what he meant. Before long, she found herself trapped within a sort of maze. The walls had shifted. It was now a labyrinth. And she didn't know how to get through it.

She touched the walls. There was nothing unusual about it. It was as though a spell had...well, morphed the walls into a new form. A defense method. Any intruder, even if they knew their way around fairly well, wouldn't stand a chance if he didn't know the new way. It was like the labyrinth in the Greek myth (is it a myth?) with Icarus and his father.

She remembered the story from her childhood. Dmitri had studied that kind of thing, and was always willing to share new findings with her. She used to beg him to tell her of the Greek myths for the origins of things. And one day, she wondered about a maze. She would always, after he told her of it, ask him to share the tale of the labyrinth. And he would, as sad as it was.

_An architect by the name of Daedalus worked for the King Minos, ruler of Crete. He designed the labyrinth, to imprison the Minotaur, a beast that was half human, half bull. It was so expertly designed so that anyone caught within the maze's walls would be unable to find their way out again, or escape the Minotaur. Only he and Ariadne, the daughter of the king, knew the secret to escaping the labyrinth. Ariadne helped her lover to defeat the beast and get out of the labyrinth. Furious, Minos locked Daedalus and his son, Icarus, in the labyrinth. Unable to find their way out, Daedalus created wax wings so they could fly out of the maze, and warned his son before their flight: Do not go too close to the water, for the moisture shall cling to your wings and pull you down to drown; do not fly too close to the sun or your wings shall melt and you will drown in the waters below. However, Icarus, having so much fun flying in his own way, flew too close to the sun and drowned. His father watched in horror, unable to aid his son, for if he did, he, too, would drown. Daedalus made it to Sicily, where he was welcomed by the king. Minos attempted to pursue Daedalus, but was killed by the daughters of Sicily's king. _

(A/N: My hand hurts now. Look at all that!)

Kohari nearly lost all hope. But she still pushed herself on, towards the center of the maze. All she ended up doing to begin with was wind up right back where she started. But she did get to the circular heart of the maze.

'Okay, what do I do now?' she asked herself. Setting small goals wasn't much better than setting large ones, she supposed. Then, she spied another security box on the wall. Upon closer observation, she realized that it, like the treasure room security, required a password. His words rang in her ears.

"The password is 'pyrostorm.'"

She understood now. She typed in the word, and the walls went back to the way they were prior to her attempted escapade. This allowed her to promptly exit the mansion, hopefully never to have to even look at it again.

End Chapter 

Kohari: Stay Tuned!


	15. Chapter 15

**To Break the Chain**

Kohari: No comments.

-Chapter 15- 

After slipping past the soldiers guarding the gates, she made her way to the forest. No obstacles delayed her and she got there fairly quickly. The happy looks on her comrades' faces cheered her when she entered the clearing, target in tow. The hugs nearly suffocated her as they greeted their teammate, fresh from an escape from Hiei's mansion. Even Mal congratulated her on a job well done, and he wasn't usually the type to admit that to someone.

Kohari turned to Kurama when they had placed the new globe among the collection. The others were too busy celebrating to pay much attention to the girl. "Kurama...?"

He looked at her, and she gained his attention.

"I know this is going to sound a little strange, but I felt that your friend Yukina was with me during this whole fight. Like she was helping me. Somehow, I knew it was her," she confessed, slightly embarrassed.

"It is possible," Kurama informed her, always the wise one. "Maybe she knew what was on the line and decided to help our cause spiritually, though she herself could not help physically. Friends and relatives have a funny way of being with us in times of need."

"Yeah," Kohari agreed. She had almost felt herself regretting that they were about to transform the world back to its original glory. What would happen when they wished it back? Would all this be forgotten? She didn't want to forget the adventures she had had here, though she didn't want to admit it. It was sort of...a part of her now. She had made some friends, and helped save the world to boot. She really would be sad to lose her few memories of them. Even of Hiei.

"Kurama?" she called out to him again softly, for he was right beside her, awaiting the others to come to their senses and make the wish. "What's going to happen when we do this? Will I...forget you all?"

"It's possible," he told her. He had a way of being reassuring in times like this, even while being honest. "But seeing Hiei's behavior, it seems that the one who makes the wish retains the previous memories."

"Shame." He stared at this girl who was behaving sadly. The girl who had always at least tried to find a reason to smile. "I'll be sad to forget."

"To tell the truth, I think we all will be." It was her turn to stare at him (duh, he said it). "As trying and depressing as these memories are, I think we'll all regret having to give them up." Kohari smiled. He really did have a way of soothing people sometimes. She could tell she'd really enjoy having a buddy like him one day.

Finally, the moment came. Everyone gathered around the circle, Elder May, Kohari, Mal, Kurama, Kuwabara, Yusuke, Botan...It was time.

Nobody noticed that in their midst, a certain dragon tamer had joined them. He had spoken true. He had had his fun, but it was time that everything returned to normal. After all, it was a little boring, ruling the world. It was way more enjoyable to criticize and complain about the way Koenma did it.

"Who wants to do the honors?" Kohari asked, somewhat jokingly.

"I'll do it," Kurama volunteered as a hush came over the crowd. Nobody objected. Silence consumed them all as he commanded the wish, knowing that when it was all over, he would have to report this, and that after all, it was Team Urameshi that would keep the memories of this exploit.

"Well," Kohari interrupted, just as Kurama had finished and the spheres started to glow brilliantly. All eyes turned to her. "See you again...on the other side."

Smiles directed them all back to the way things should have been. There was even a smirk on the face of the apparition. The light became blinding, just as it had the first time. Here we go again.

The scene cleared.

Kurama and Hiei sat, lying in wait, in a bush. Yusuke and Kuwabara noisily chased the sprite they were currently pursuing into the clearing, Hiei wasting no time in making mashed 'taters out of the runt. Yusuke and his idiot partner soon joined them, panting like a racehorse on a summer day after winning-...well, you understand.

"Well, mission over!" Yusuke announced after regaining his breath. "Let's go!" He pumped his fist into the air enthusiastically and led Kurama and Kuwabara out of the forest, again leaving Hiei to clean-up duty.

As Hiei got rid of the 'debris,' he looked around him, possibly hoping for some glimpse of the old woman who had started all this. He smirked, then sluggishly followed his team, not perceiving the presence of a certain elder in a cloak.

It looked like another happy ending for the Spirit Detectives. Mission accomplished...Yusuke Urameshi.

Chapter End 

Kohari: -anime crying-

Hiei: What are you doing?

Kohari: -sniff- It's not fair. Why does it have to end?

Hiei: -sigh-

Kohari: Anyways, I hope you liked this ending. And there will be an epilogue. And for those of you who like tragedies, I may consider a special ending, just for you!

Hiei: Urgh. Just hurry up and say good-bye already.

Kohari: -sigh; reluctant "Okay"- Bye, everyone! I'll miss you!

Hiei: -thinking- They won't miss you.

Kohari: Don't forget to review! Byes!

Kaimonetstaska: Hey, wait! Don't I get a say in the closing commentar-! (got cut off)


	16. Epilogue

To Break the Chain 

Kohari: Again. No comment.

-Epilogue- 

Hiei grunted in frustration as he landed in a tall maple tree just outside Kuwabara's house. Why was he always the one who had to play the delivery boy? He sighed. It's not like his record was going to clear any faster if he didn't obey Koenma, and he didn't exactly enjoy entertaining thoughts of a future in Limbo/Hell (Whatever, ppl! You get it!)

He switched his position to the windowsill, which they had stupidly left open. The whole gang was hanging out at Kuwabara's. Hiei frowned. With all the missions they'd received lately, you'd think they'd at least try to prevent any ambushes in any way possible. He shook it off, remembering their experience with the orbs. They had actually handled it pretty well, by his standards. Maybe he could skip the lecture. Just this once.

Silently, he wondered what had happened to the Blitz. Disappointing. He had never been able to witness Kohari's true potential.

But everything was okay now. Koenma had told them that nobody with the exception of themselves remembered anything of the event and everything was back to the way it was. Shame, really. He almost missed his seat of power, and that group had been quite interesting.

The apparition was pulled out of his thoughts by his friends' greetings. Predictably, Yusuke called out, "Ya comin' in or what?!" Hiei smiled. The girl had been right. It was better this way. As much as he hated to admit it, he preferred being accepted to being feared and hated.

He crawled into Kuwabara's room, handing Urameshi the package. Another tape. Well, actually, it was a tool so that Koenma could transmit them the mission straight from his office. This time, Hiei actually hung around to watch it. Maybe, just maybe, he'd decide to help them out.

Koenma's toddler form appeared on the screen suddenly, temporarily scaring some of them. Hiei smirked. Oh, yeah. It was definitely just like old times, despite his betrayal.

"Good morning, Yusuke," the miniature ruler greeted. "Team." They nodded in response. "Seeing as how these multiple missions have taken their toll on you (At this point, Yusuke snorted), I've taken the liberty of adding a new team." Here, he paused, obviously expecting comments, questions, and complaints. The look on his face stated clearly that he knew something they didn't.

His expectations were met. Kuwabara and Yusuke went on about how they could handle it, and why would they need another member. When they had calmed down, Koenma continued.

"It's not really an addition to the team. More like a separate cell. They'll be given the smaller, more insignificant tasks while you're free to focus completely on the greater problems."

"Sounds fair. And promising," Kurama gave his opinion from where he was leaning against the wall.

"I still don't like it," Kuwabara put in his two cents.

"That doesn't matter at this point," Koenma broke in, once again silencing them. "I've arranged a meeting with them. Please report immediately to the park downtown. All of you. Yes, even you, Hiei. I believe you are all in for a pleasant surprise." The screen went blank before they had time to protest, and they were frozen in momentary stunned quiet. Which, Yusuke, unsurprisingly, broke.

"Well," he got up off his rear, and said enthusiastically, "We ain't getting any younger!" he walked out the door, past a confused Shizuru. The others followed suit after a second's contemplation.

Eventually, they made it to the park. Keiko had held them up, demanding to know where they were going. Yusuke left her hanging and he decided to sprint. But that wasn't important. They were at the gates now, and were met by the teenage form of Koenma, who led them to the rendezvous.

From a distance, they caught a glimpse of where they were meeting. Three guys and a girl were waiting at the brook, backs to them. One of the boys had emerald hair and was clad in blue jeans and a rusty red t-shirt. The other two, and the female, looked oddly familiar. As they drew closer, they saw the girl (blond) dip her hand into the clear, cool water and splash it playfully at the brown-haired boy in a forest green tee, giggling. He pretended to get really angry and chased her jokingly, the entire quartet laughing. The girl fled behind Koenma, begging, "Save me!"

The addressed coughed an "Ahem" and she immediately released his shoulders, apologizing. She gasped, facing Team Urameshi.

"Ohmigosh!" she cried out. She recognized them, for in some places, they were famous. "The Reikai Tentai (right?)!" she immediately identified them. The finally got a good look at her face. Could it be...?

"Calm down, Ko. You're behaving childishly," Dmitri chastised her lightly and kindly, approaching them.

"I told you not to give her any chocolate," Mal told them in a superior manner. Todd followed, soaking wet.

"These are your new...comrades, detectives. This...is the Blitz. Blitz, you already know Team Urameshi." Koenma introduced the groups. The groups responded in their own ways, Yusuke and his friends feeling a little awkward going through deja-vous.

"Hiya!" Kohari smiled, offering her tiny hand for them to shake. Dmitri did the same, with a "'Sup?" We can imagine how Todd and Mal greeted them. Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama, and Kuwabara just did what they do best when meeting people.

"Oh, I forgot!" Kohari suddenly gasped. "The doctor told me to tell you that Yukina was doing fine and that she'd be up and about in a few days."

"Thank you, Kohari," Koenma showed his gratitude. For a moment, Kohari looked stunned, as though not expecting such words from the prince, and then did the cute little head tilt to the side, closing her eyes.

"You're welcome!"

Hiei's mind wandered back to the return. Yukina had been placed in the hospital soon afterwards. For some reason, even though during the time in this reality, her body was weak from the city street scene and for a while, she could barely walk. Occasionally, she had spells where she could hardly breath. They hadn't received much news on the subject, but Kohari's interruption was appreciated.

The parties began to divide into respective groups, commencing conversations. Mal and Hiei stayed at a distance from all of them, being the loners they were. Todd and Kuwabara discovered that they were more alike than they originally thought. Yusuke? He started a convo with Dmitri. Kurama, knowing loads about Kohari and Dmitri's village culture, began to ask a few questions in regards to it. After all, wasn't their home secluded?

"Your village is one that supports the policy of isolationism, correct?" he questioned.

Kohari looked surprised that he knew that. "Yeah."

"Then why are you here? Not to be rude, of course, but it seems a little unlikely that you'd be found outside their gates."

"Not at all. Most people don't know about us at all," Kohari seemed glad that someone, at least, knew something about them. "But the elders decided that it was okay for us to go and help Team Urameshi. For the little things, anyway. After all, who knows? We could end up helping you save the world!" She laughed at this, obviously not believing it.

Hiei, in a nearby tree, smirked in a subtle manner. Kurama did as well. She had no idea. It was amusing.

Koenma's communicator rang, causing everyone to turn and stare in curiosity while he answered it. They heard only bits and pieces of the conversation, but it didn't appear good. He turned back to their quizzical faces. "Sorry to break up the party, but it appears we have a situation on our hands."

Kohari glanced quickly at DM. Was this their chance to show the Reikai Tentai what they could really do? Even Hiei would admit that that would be something worth seeing.

Koenma went on. "I guess this is another opportunity for you all to bond. I'm sending you on it together. Head to the city square immediately. I'll forward all details to you when you get there."

"Alright!" a few of them shouted, ready to show off their moves. The rest sighed at the stupidity of their companions.

They ran off, ready for whatever may come their way. After all, they've been through worse, right?

End of Chapter and Story 

Kohari: Well, let's all jump for joy, for this is the end. I'm thinking about a sequel, so keep your eyes peeled.

Hiei: -sigh-

Kohari: That's right, Hiei. You still can't kill me. –to readers- Anyway, see ya soon! This is Kohari, signing off!

Screen goes blank.


End file.
